Shipwreck off Comoros Islands leaves at least 25 dead: IOM

At least 25 people, including women and children, died when their boat was deliberately capsized by traffickers off the Comoros, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday.

According to survivors of the sinking late Friday, the boat carried around 30 people of different nationalities, including seven women and at least six young children, it said in a statement.

“IOM Comoros is saddened to hear about the deaths of at least 25 people after their boat was deliberately capsized by traffickers off Comoros Islands, between Anjouan and Mayotte on Friday night,” the statement said.

Fishermen rescued five survivors on Saturday morning.

Anjouan, one of the three islands that make up the Indian Ocean nation of the Comoros, lies about 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the French territory of Mayotte.

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The crossing between the two is an often-used migration route on which thousands of people have lost their lives, the IOM said.

Despite being France’s poorest department, Mayotte has French infrastructure and welfare, making it a tempting destination for Comorans living in poverty.

Many pay smugglers to make the dangerous, sometimes deadly sea crossing to Mayotte on rickety fishing boats.

The IOM said a 2012 report from the French Senate estimated that between 7,000 and 10,000 people had died trying to cross from Comoros to Mayotte since 1995, but this figure could be much higher.

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There had been two similar tragedies in the same area in the past three months, the statement said.

In September, a boat with 12 people on board including two children and an expectant mother left the coast of Anjouan and never reached Mayotte.

In August, eight people including a 12-year-old boy lost their lives in a similar incident, it said.

The IOM said it emphasised “the importance of establishing safe and legal pathways for migration in order to reduce the dangers faced by children, women and men along this route in risky see journeys.”