At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died and 84 remain missing after an overcrowded boat carrying 305 people sank off Djibouti while heading towards Yemen, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said.
The boat, carrying mostly Ethiopian nationals, capsized north of the Djiboutian town of Obock overnight between October 8 and 9, according to an IOM statement reported by AFP.
“Survivors told me that the boat started to sink backwards as soon as they got in it,” Alexandre Coissac, the IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, told AFP.
“This is a devastating loss of life,” he said, expressing sympathy for survivors and families who had lost loved ones or were still waiting for news of missing relatives.
The IOM initially reported 109 deaths and 116 missing people. The death toll later rose to 139 after more bodies were recovered, while the number of missing people fell to 84.
82 Survivors Rescued as Search Continues
According to the updated figures, 82 people survived the shipwreck, all of them Ethiopian nationals.
The IOM said its teams were working alongside Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency assistance. It was also supporting 64 survivors at a migrant centre in Obock as search and rescue operations continued.
Among the 109 bodies recovered at the time of the initial report were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children, comprising nine girls and six boys.
The agency described the incident as one of the deadliest shipwrecks recorded along the migration route from Djibouti to Yemen.
Coissac also disclosed that 150 people aboard the ill-fated boat had previously been turned back from Yemen but attempted the crossing again.
Poverty and Conflict Drive Dangerous Migration
The IOM warned that poverty, insecurity and the growing effects of climate change continue to push people towards dangerous journeys across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in search of economic opportunities in Yemen and other Gulf countries.
The risks remain high despite mounting instability across the Middle East.
Coissac said he had spoken to a survivor from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, where renewed violence involving rebels and federal government forces has raised security concerns.
IOM spokesman Kennedy Omondi Okoth told AFP that 178,000 people had arrived in Djibouti from Ethiopia between January and October 2026.
Since September 10, the agency had detected more than 20,000 crossings from Ethiopia into Djibouti, despite escalating conflict in Yemen.
Yemen remains affected by fighting between the internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, and Houthi rebels backed by Iran. The Houthis have also become involved in the wider regional conflict involving the United States, its allies and Iran.
More Than 900 Migrants Died or Went Missing in 2025
The latest tragedy adds to the mounting death toll along the sea route to Yemen.
The IOM said more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the route in 2025, while the number of people attempting the journey increased by 18 per cent.
Another shipwreck in March 2026 left nine people dead and 45 missing, according to the agency.
Okoth said most people attempting the crossing came from Ethiopia or Somalia, with many becoming stranded in Djibouti.
IOM Director General Amy Pope said the deaths should not be accepted as a normal consequence of migration.
“No one gets into a boat like that unless they believe there is no other safe way,” Pope said.
“We cannot keep treating these deaths as normal. Safe and legal pathways save lives. I am asking governments and donors to act before the next boat goes down.”
The IOM urged donors and international partners to increase support for Djibouti, particularly for search and rescue operations and emergency assistance to migrants.
