More than 130 African refugees were missing off Djibouti after two overloaded boats capsized in rough seas on Tuesday, the United Nations migration agency said.

The vessels were heading to Yemen, a gateway to Persian Gulf countries where many refugees hope to find jobs and better lives, said Joel Millman, spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Alerted by local residents, a team of gendarmes found two survivors and the bodies of five refugees.

The boats were believed to have capsized off Godoria, in Djibouti’s Obock region.

IOM staff identified an 18-year-old male survivor believed to have among 130 passengers on the first boat, but he had no information on the second craft, the IOM said.

(Source: AFP)