Djibouti - More than 130 migrants have gone missing on Tuesday morning (29 January) off the coast of Djibouti after two boats capsized.

The event took place off Godoria, a locality in the Obock region of northeast Djibouti. After being alerted by local residents, a team of gendarmerie gathered this afternoon near the reported site of the disaster and discovered two survivors as well as the remains of three women and two men.

The coast guard was also alerted and launched search and rescue operations. Those operations are still underway with two patrol boats.

According to local witnesses, the boat capsized roughly 30 minutes after departure due to its excessive load. The boat also faced heavy swells.

An IOM team visited the location to assist local officials and assist in the search for survivors. IOM staff found one: an 18-year old male, who reportedly boarded the first boat with 130 people on board. Included in that group were 16 women. This survivor said he did not have information about the second boat.

The five corpses recovered currently are being transported by the Ministry of Health to a hospital in Obock for examination.

IOM manages a Migrant Response Center (MCR) in Obock, where over 500 migrants are being assisted ahead of repatriation to their countries of origin under the voluntary return programme.

For more information please contact: Lalini Veerassamy, IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti, +253 77 31 18 11 email: lveerassamy@iom.int