At least 45 people died when two boats carrying migrants that had set sail from Africa sank in the Red Sea near the coast of Djibouti, the United Nations migration agency said Tuesday.
The boats had left Yemen with 310 people, the International Organization for Migration said.
Every year, thousands of people leave countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia in search of a better life in Europe and attempt to emigrate irregularly.
Smugglers pack ships with desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe.
The UN agency, which was assisting in the search and rescue efforts, said on the social network X that 32 survivors had been rescued.
Djibouti’s coast guard said the shipwreck had occurred about 500 feet from a beach near the northwestern region of Khor Angar.
There was a joint rescue operation underway that began on Monday. The coast guard indicated that 115 survivors had been rescued.
“We remain committed to finding missing people and ensuring the safety of survivors,” the agency said in a statement posted on social media, accompanied by images of white body bags.
