Djibouti, 2 Oct

Two vessels carrying migrants from Africa sank in the Red Sea off the coast of Djibouti, killing 45 people, the UN migration agency said on Tuesday.

The boats had departed from Yemen carrying 310 people, the International Organization for Migration said. Thousands of migrants from African, Middle Eastern and South Asian countries seeking a better life in Europe attempt irregular migration every year. Smugglers pack vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe.

The UN agency, which was assisting search and rescue efforts, said on the social media platform X that 32 survivors were rescued. Djibouti's coast guard said the tragedy struck some 150 metres off a beach near the northwest Khor Angar region. It said a joint rescue effort was under way, which began early on Monday. It said 115 survivors were rescued.

"We remain committed to finding the missing persons and ensuring the safety of the survivors," the agency said in a statement posted on social media, with images of white body bags. Tens of thousands of people seeking a better future leave from Africa and cross the Red Sea each year in order to reach Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states, in what humanitarian organisations have described as “one of the busiest and arguably most dangerous [migration routes] in the world”.

Known as the “Eastern Route”, human smugglers pack refugees and migrants onto overcrowded vessels as they set off from the Horn of Africa and head for Yemen. From there, they travel to the Gulf states in search of work. Those returning from the Gulf will do the same route in reverse. -PTI/ Agencies