麻豆约拍

At least 20 people drowned after being thrown off a boat off the coast of Djibouti. They were among more than 200 migrants who were being smuggled and were aiming to reach Saudi Arabia for work, via Yemen.

The coronavirus pandemic has left thousands of people trapped in Djibouti as borders and ports have been shut. Unable to go onwards or return home, many are exploited by smugglers, traffickers and conmen.

The UN's International Organization for Migration has been helping dozens of survivors. Its spokesperson for the Horn of Africa, Yvonne Ndege explained what they said had happened:

"The smugglers began complaining that the boat was overloaded. There was panic, and they started pushing people off into the water... we know that 80 at least were pushed off the boat physically... we think around 60 made it back to shore."

(Photo: IOM recovering migrants belongings from a beach in Djibouti. Credit: IOM)