At least 109 migrants die after boat capsizes off Djibouti coast

At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, died and 116 others went missing after a boat carrying 350 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti overnight between October 8 and October 9, France 24 reported on Sunday. The International Organisation for Migration, a United Nations agency, provided the casualty figures. [1]

According to survivors cited by France 24, the vessel capsized north of Djibouti as it was travelling across the sea to Yemen. [1]

The nation of Djibouti derives its name from its capital city, with local Afar and Somali linguistic traditions providing different origins for the word. In the Afar language it corresponds to Gabuuti, while in Somali it is Jabuuti. European records first documented the name in the late 19th century when French colonial authorities established the city of Djibouti in 1888. [3]