At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and about 116 others remain missing after a boat carrying hundreds of people sank off the coast of Djibouti overnight between October 8 and 9, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.
According to the UN agency, survivors said the vessel was carrying about 350 people from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized north of the coastal town of Obock.
“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,” Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, said in a statement.
Coissac said IOM teams were working alongside Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency assistance to survivors.
“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities,” he said, referring to the perilous journey across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen, often as part of attempts to reach Gulf countries.
The IOM said the 109 bodies recovered comprised 52 men, 42 women and 15 children, including nine girls and six boys.
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👉 JOIN GISTSMATE WHATSAPP CHANNELMore than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all of them Ethiopian nationals.
“Poverty, insecurity and the growing impacts of climate change drive many to undertake this journey, despite mounting instability across the Middle East,” the IOM said.
Yemen has been embroiled in a conflict between the Saudi-backed government and Houthi rebels backed by Iran. The Houthis have also become involved in the wider regional conflict involving the United States and its allies against Iran.
The IOM said it was assisting 64 survivors at a migrant centre in Obock, while search-and-rescue operations continued.
“Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations as fears grow for those still missing,” the agency said.
Since September 10, the IOM has recorded more than 20,000 crossings from Ethiopia into Djibouti, highlighting the continuing movement of migrants along the route.
In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing while attempting the sea journey to Yemen, the agency said. The number of people attempting the crossing increased by 18 per cent that year.
A separate shipwreck in March 2026 left nine people dead and 45 others missing.
IOM spokesperson Kennedy Omondi Okoth told Agence France-Presse earlier in the week that most migrants attempting the journey came from Ethiopia or Somalia. Many, he said, ended up stranded in Djibouti.
The agency urged international partners to provide additional assistance to help the country respond to the growing humanitarian crisis.
The IOM called on “donors and partners to strengthen support for Djibouti’s response, including search and rescue operations and life-saving assistance.”
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