UN: More than 130 migrants appear to be missing off Djibouti

File: Migrants on a rubber boat being rescued by the Lifeline ship in the Mediterranean. Hermine Poschmann / Mission Lifeline via AP

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The U.N. migration agency says more than 130 migrants are thought to be missing after two boats capsized off the tiny East African nation of Djibouti.

A statement says local police have found five bodies so far and search efforts are underway. Witnesses say the boats were overloaded and large waves caused them to capsize about a half-hour after departing.

The migration agency says its team at the site has found a survivor who reportedly boarded a boat with another 130 people, including 16 women.

Migrants from the Horn of Africa region often set off from Djibouti to cross the Bab al-Mandab Strait for the Arabian Peninsula with hopes of finding work in rich Gulf countries.

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