At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 others remain missing after a boat carrying 305 capsized the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday. The boat was travelling from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized near Guhere, north of Obock, during the night of 8-9 October, according to survivors.
Among the 109 bodies recovered are 52 men, 42 women and 15 children including nine girls and six boys. More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all Ethiopian nationals. IOM is assisting 64 survivors at its Obock Migrant Response Centre (MRC), providing healthcare, psychosocial assistance, protection services, temporary shelter, food assistance, and support to restore contact with their families.
"Devastating loss of life"
“This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives,” said Alexandre Coissac, IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti. “Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities.”
Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations as fears grow for those still missing. Local authorities are also providing medical care to survivors and arranging dignified burials for those who died.
Migrant crisis and tragic shipwreaks
Each year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti and cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen, hoping to reach Gulf countries in search of safety, stability and employment. Poverty, insecurity and the growing impacts of climate change drive many to undertake this journey, despite mounting instability across the Middle East.
Despite the violence in Yemen, migrants are still making the perilous journeys hoping to make it to the gulf countries. Since 10 September, more than 20,000 incoming movements to Djibouti from Ethiopia have been observed by International Organisation of Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix.
The sea crossing is only one part of the danger. Migrants who reach Yemen face risks of violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, exploitation and trafficking. As movements along the Eastern Route continue, migrants remain exposed to severe risks at every stage of their journey, underscoring that surviving the sea crossing does not necessarily mean reaching safety, particularly amid the ongoing insecurity and humanitarian challenges in Yemen.
In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along this route, according to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, while the number undertaking the journey increased by 18 per cent. A further shipwreck in March 2026 left nine people dead and 45 missing.
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