Madagascar authorities say the death toll after the capsizing of a boat carrying Somali migrants now stands at 25

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) – The death toll rose to 25 on Monday after two speedboats carrying Somali migrants capsized in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar, authorities said Monday.

The migrants stayed at sea for almost a month, hoping to reach the French island of Mayotte.

Another 48 people were rescued from the waters off the island of Nosy Be off the coast of northern Madagascar on Sunday, said Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina, head of the Madagascar Seaports Agency.

Somali authorities announced on Sunday that 24 people died. It is unclear what caused the boat to capsize.

Randrianantenaina said the boats left a beach near the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on November 2 with 73 people on board and were likely heading to Mayotte. Mayotte is approximately 1,600 kilometers (990 mi) from Mogadishu.

Madagascar authorities said the survivors were between 17 and 50 years old.

Randrianantenaina said an investigation was ongoing and a government delegation from Somalia would arrive to arrange the repatriation of the citizens. Madagascar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested assistance from the United Nations International Organization for Migration.

Many young Somalis embark on dangerous journeys every year in search of better opportunities abroad. The UN agency has previously expressed concerns about an increase in illegal migration from Horn of Africa countries as people flee conflict and drought.

In April, 38 migrants died and 22 others were rescued after a shipwreck off the coast of Djibouti on a popular migration route to Yemen. Most of those rescued were Somali and Ethiopian citizens looking for work in the Persian Gulf countries.

___

AP News from Africa: