Smugglers force migrants overboard

ADDIS ABABA: At least eight migrants died and 12 are missing after being forced off a boat by smugglers off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organisation for Migration said yesterday.

All 34 migrants on board were believed to be Ethiopians trying to return to the Horn of Africa after failing to cross into Yemen.

Fourteen survivors were receiving medical treatment in Djibouti, the IOM said.

Thousands of Saudibound Ethiopian workers cross Yemen each month, but restrictions aimed at curbing Covid19 there have forced many to turn back.

‘‘This tragedy is a wakeup call. Hundreds of migrants are leaving Yemen every day . . . facing exploitation from people smugglers and, in this instance, very tragically, death and injury,’’ an IOM spokeswoman said.

To date 14,000 migrants, mostly Ethiopians, are stranded in Yemen trying to get home. — Reuters