Djibouti shipwreck death toll rises to 139, with 84 still missing

The death toll from a migrant boat sinking off Djibouti rose to 139 after another 30 bodies were found, the International Organization for Migration said on October 11.

The vessel capsized north of Obock while travelling from Djibouti to Yemen on the night of October 8-9. The agency's updated figures leave 84 people still missing.

More than 80 people survived, all Ethiopian nationals. IOM teams are working with Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency assistance to survivors and affected families.

The earlier toll of 109 included 52 men, 42 women and 15 children. Those figures describe the previously recovered victims, rather than a breakdown of the updated death toll.

The route crosses the Bab el-Mandeb Strait towards Yemen, with many migrants hoping to continue to Gulf countries for work. IOM's Djibouti mission chief Alexandre Coissac described the sinking as a devastating loss of life and a reminder of the dangers along the migration corridor.