“The Djiboutian coast guard is conducting search and rescue operations to locate the missing migrants,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

According to the UN agency, the incident occurred because traffickers forced the passengers to jump into the water.

Survivors told IOM that the operators of the two boats forced them into the open sea off the coast of Djibouti’s port city of Obock.

According to the statement, 154 people were rescued from the two boats, which left Yemen for Djibouti with a total of 310 passengers.

Rescuers found 45 lifeless bodies after Tuesday’s incident, a death toll that confirms 2024 as the deadliest year on record for sea crossings on the East Africa-Yemen migration route, the source said.

Hundreds of thousands leave the Horn of Africa each year in search of economic improvement and life prospects in the Persian Gulf countries via the so-called Eastern Route, considered by IOM as one of the world’s most dangerous migration corridors.

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