15 children among 139 dead in Djibouti boat tragedy, 84 missing

DJIBOUTI CITY: At least 139 migrants have died and 84 remain missing after a boat carrying 305 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti while travelling to Yemen, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). At least 15 children were among the dead.

The vessel capsized near Guhere, north of the coastal town of Obock, during the night of October 8-9. Survivors told the IOM that the boat began sinking backwards shortly after they boarded. The death toll rose from an initial 109 after 30 additional bodies were recovered, according to reports citing the UN migration agency. The 109 bodies recovered initially included 52 men, 42 women and 15 children, comprising nine girls and six boys.

Eighty-two people survived the shipwreck, all of them Ethiopian nationals, according to the updated figures. The IOM is working with Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency assistance, while search and rescue operations continue to locate those still missing. The IOM said it was assisting 64 survivors at its migrant response centre in Obock.

Poverty, insecurity and the growing effects of climate change are among the factors driving people to undertake dangerous migration journeys, the agency said. Many cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Djibouti to Yemen in the hope of reaching Gulf countries in search of employment and better economic opportunities.

According to figures cited by the IOM, 178,000 people arrived in Djibouti from Ethiopia between January and October this year. The agency also recorded more than 20,000 incoming movements from Ethiopia to Djibouti since September 10, despite escalating conflict in Yemen. These figures refer to recorded movements and should not be interpreted as a confirmed count of unique individuals.

The IOM has warned that migrants continue to undertake the dangerous crossing despite instability in Yemen, where fighting has continued between government forces and Houthi rebels.
Alexandre Coissac, the IOM's chief of mission in Djibouti, said 150 people aboard the boat had previously been turned back from Yemen but had attempted the crossing again.

Kennedy Omondi Okoth, an IOM spokesperson, said most people attempting the journey were from Ethiopia and Somalia, with many becoming stranded in Djibouti.
The agency said more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the route in 2025, highlighting the continuing dangers faced by people travelling from the Horn of Africa towards the Arabian Peninsula.