The boats were en route on one of the busiest and most dangerous routes in the world for refugees and migrants from Africa.
At least 45 people have died, and dozens are reported missing after two boats carrying refugees and migrants from Africa sank off the coast of Djibouti, the UN migration agency reported.
The International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday that the boats, carrying 310 people, left Yemen before sinking in the Red Sea.
“IOM is supporting state emergency services in search and rescue operations,” said the organization in a post on X, adding survivors of the tragedy so far number 32.
Djibouti’s coastguard said a joint rescue effort had been underway since early Monday. It added that 115 survivors had now been rescued, and dozens were still missing.
The coastguard said the boats sank just 150 meters (492 feet) from a beach near Djibouti’s northwest Khor Angar region.
We remain committed to finding those still missing and the safety of all survivors,” the coastguard said in a social media statement, publishing pictures of white body bags.
In April, at least 38 people, including children, died when the boat they were in sank off Djibouti’s coast while taking the same route across the Red Sea.
In June, at least 49 people, mainly from Ethiopia and Somalia, died when their boat sank after setting off from Somalia.
Tens of thousands leave from Africa annually across the Red Sea in search of a better life en route to Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states, in what humanitarian organizations described as “one of the busiest and arguably most dangerous [migration routes] in the world.”
Human smugglers pack refugees and migrants onto jammed vessels as they leave from the Horn of Africa bound for Yemen, a transit point for those seeking work in the Gulf states. Returns will make the reverse journey from the Gulf.
