At least 25 individuals, including several children, lost their lives in a heartbreaking incident near the Comoros Islands. The local office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that the boat carrying around 30 people was intentionally capsized by traffickers.
The UN body expressed deep sorrow over the tragic event that occurred between Anjouan and Mayotte on Friday night. Among the passengers were seven women and four children. Fortunately, five survivors were rescued by fishermen the following morning.
This devastating incident is not an isolated one in the region. IOM highlighted two similar occurrences in the past three months. In September, a boat carrying 12 individuals, including two children and a pregnant woman, vanished en route to Mayotte. In August, eight people, including a 12-year-old boy, met a tragic fate in a separate incident.
The migration route to the disputed island of Mayotte, part of the Comoros archipelago and a French département since 2011, has claimed the lives of thousands of individuals. IOM stressed the urgent need to establish safe and legal pathways for migration to prevent such heartbreaking tragedies from recurring.
