AFP via Getty Images
The IOM says people taking this route has increased by 18%, with boats - like the above pictured from April 2026 - getting into trouble
Djibouti, Oct 11 — At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 remain missing after a boat carrying 305 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti while heading to Yemen, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.
The vessel capsized near Guhere, north of the coastal town of Obock, during the night of Oct. 8-9, according to survivors cited by the United Nations migration agency.
IOM said authorities had recovered 109 bodies, including 52 men, 42 women and 15 children. The children included nine girls and six boys.
More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all Ethiopian nationals, the agency said. Search and rescue operations were continuing as authorities sought to locate those still missing.
“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’s 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,” he added.
IOM said it was assisting 64 survivors at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock, providing healthcare, psychological support, temporary shelter, food and assistance in restoring contact with their families.
Djiboutian authorities were also providing medical treatment to survivors and arranging burials for those who died, the agency said.
The disaster is among the deadliest recorded along the Eastern Migration Route, used by tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa each year to reach Yemen before attempting to travel onward to Gulf countries.
Many migrants, particularly from Ethiopia, cross Djibouti and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in search of employment and better living conditions, despite the dangers posed by rough seas, human traffickers and Yemen’s prolonged conflict.
IOM said its Displacement Tracking Matrix had recorded more than 20,000 movements into Djibouti from Ethiopia since Sept. 10, highlighting the continued flow of migrants along the route.
Those who survive the sea crossing face further dangers in Yemen, including violence, arbitrary detention, exploitation and human trafficking.
According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the Eastern Route in 2025, while the number of people undertaking the journey increased by 18%.
Another shipwreck in March 2026 left nine migrants dead and 45 missing, the agency said.
IOM warned that humanitarian needs were increasing while funding remained limited, calling on international donors and partners to strengthen support for search and rescue operations and emergency assistance in Djibouti.
The agency also urged governments to expand safe migration pathways to reduce deaths along one of the world’s most dangerous migration corridors.
