"Search and rescue operations are ongoing by local authorities and IOM," the UN agency said on the X social network (formerly Twitter). The UN agency added that 77 migrants were on board the boat, "including at least one child", without specifying whether the child was among the victims. This is the second shipwreck recorded by the IOM off the coast of Djibouti in a matter of weeks, after one on 8 April in which at least 38 migrants, including children, died. The route used by migrants from the Horn of Africa to Yemen and the Persian Gulf states is among the "most dangerous" in the world, according to the UN agency. On 8 April, the IOM estimated that at least 698 people, including women and children, had died along this route in 2023, but "this number could be higher, as some tragedies often go unnoticed". In addition to shipwrecks, migrants face "hunger, health risks, traffickers and other criminals" along the way, and lack "medical care, food, water and shelter", the organisation said. According to the IOM, Ethiopians account for 79% of the approximately 100,000 migrants who will arrive in Yemen in 2023 from the coasts of Djibouti or Somalia, the rest being Somalis. Most of them cite economic reasons for leaving, but some also point to violence or climate disasters in Ethiopia. Read Also: At least 5 migrants (including a child) die in the English Channel (Portuguese version)