At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died after a boat carrying 305 people capsized off Djibouti while heading towards Yemen.

Another 84 people remain missing, the United Nations’ migration agency said on Sunday.

The boat sank near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, during the night of October 8-9, according to survivors who spoke to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

More than 80 people survived the accident. All the survivors were Ethiopian nationals.

The IOM described the incident as one of the deadliest shipwrecks recorded along the route. Djiboutian authorities are continuing to search for missing people, while the agency is helping survivors.

Alexandre Coissac, the IOM’s chief of mission in Djibouti, told the Associated Press that the boat sank shortly after leaving on the evening of October 8. He said overcrowding was the main reason for the accident.

The death toll rose from 109 after more bodies were recovered. The official count includes people buried by local authorities. Some other victims were buried by fellow migrants, but their deaths have not been added to the total because authorities have yet to verify the bodies.

Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations. The IOM is providing help to survivors at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock.

According to the Associated Press, survivors were receiving medical treatment after swallowing seawater. They were also being given psychological support. Coissac said they were in a state of shock. He added that IOM teams were working with local authorities to provide emergency assistance.

IOM Director General Amy Pope called on governments and donors to provide safer ways for people to migrate. She added that governments and donors needed to act before another boat sank.

Thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti and cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen in search of work and safety. Many hope to reach wealthier Gulf countries.

However, migrants who reach Yemen face risks including violence, arrest, detention, exploitation and trafficking, the IOM said.

Despite the violence in Yemen, people continue to make the journey in the hope of finding work.

An IOM official told Reuters that the agency had recorded heavy migrant traffic along the Eastern Route through Djibouti for several years.

References: Fox News, Sky News