Eight drown off Djibouti

At least eight migrants have drowned and 12 are missing after smugglers forced them off a boat near the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, an advocacy group said Sunday.

Another 14 survived and were receiving medical care, said the International Organization for Migration.

All were thought to be Ethiopian and making the passage to Djibouti from Yemen — a reversal of the usual migrant voyage to seek work in richer Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Yemen have made the journey to Gulf nations more dangerous, and some migrants have turned back. It is believed this boatload of migrants had failed to reach Saudi Arabia, the IOM said.