According to the United Nations Migration Agency in Geneva, at least 48 refugees have died off the coast of Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden. More than 100 are still missing. The International Organization for Migration reported that smugglers forced people to jump into the water at sea and asked them to swim to reach land.
A total of 320 people were traveling on two boats. 99 reached the coast by swimming, and 55 were rescued at sea. At least 48 people were killed, including a mother whose four-month-old child survived. The others were still missing. The search operation continued until the afternoon.
According to survivors, people wanted to return from Yemen to Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration reported. This route is mainly traveled by people from Somalia and Eritrea. In search of work, they want to reach Saudi Arabia or the Gulf states via Yemen, or return to their homeland from there.
According to the International Organization for Migration, never before have so many migrants died between Africa and Yemen as happened this year. In June alone, 196 people drowned there.
