45 dead, 111 missing after migrants forced off boats near Djibouti: IOM

Sanaa, Oct 2 (IANS) At least 45 people have died and 111 others went missing after smugglers forced migrants returning from Yemen off two vessels in the open sea near Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Wednesday.

The incident off the coast of Djibouti's Obock town involved two boats transporting migrants returning from Yemen, the IOM said on its website.

The UN agency did not specify when the accident occurred, but Yemeni coast guard sources in the Red Sea port city of Mocha told Xinhua it happened on Tuesday. They said most of the migrants were Ethiopians returning from Yemen, Xinhua news agency reported.

Survivors reported that the first boat carried 100 migrants and the second had 210, all heading to Djibouti from Yemen. Yemeni boat operators forced them to disembark in the open sea and swim. One woman drowned, but her four-month-old infant survived, along with 98 others from the first boat.

Rescue operations by Djibouti coast guards are still underway to search for survivors.

--IANS

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