Death toll rises to 139 after boat capsizes off Djibouti coast

ADDIS ABABA -- At least 139 migrants have died and 84 remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday.

The boat, carrying 305, was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized during the night between Thursday and Friday. Djiboutian authorities continue search and recovery operations as fears grow for those still missing. About 82 people survived the shipwreck, according to a statement issued by the United Nations migration agency on Sunday.

The latest boat accident is one of many similar deadly calamities that have occurred in Djibouti's Red Sea coast area. In most of these incidents, desperate East African migrants attempted to cross the dangerous route, hoping to reach the Middle East via war-torn Yemen, with the main destination being Yemen's northern neighbor, Saudi Arabia.