Africaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Djibouti, Killing At Least 139 Including 15 Children
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At least 139 dead, including 15 children, after migrant boat capsized off Djibouti coast About 84 people remain missing, according to IOM
16 outlets told this the same way.
Capsize off Obock
A migrant boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti while traveling from Djibouti to Yemen, killing at least 139 migrants including 15 children and leaving 84 missing, the International Organization for Migration said.
The IOM said the boat capsized near Guhere off Djibouti’s eastern coast in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab al-Mandeb strait from Thursday night to before dawn on Friday, and it said 82 people survived, all Ethiopians.
Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, said the provisional toll was particularly heavy and called the tragedy a stark reminder of the dangers migrants face.
Safiya Ibrahim, a humanitarian response coordinator for the UN agency, said, “On board were women and men, but also children. The provisional toll is particularly heavy,” as search and rescue work continued off Obock.
The IOM said it was providing assistance to survivors, including healthcare and assistance in contacting their families, as personal items were seen on a beach during the response.
Survivors, burials, and counts
Alexandre Coissac said survivors told him the boat started to sink backwards as soon as they got in it, and he said the IOM’s thoughts were with survivors and families without news. Coissac told the Associated Press that the official toll only includes those buried by authorities in Djibouti, and he said others were buried by the migrants themselves but would not be added until authorities could verify the bodies. The BBC said the IOM revised its toll from 109 on Sunday after 30 more bodies were recovered, and it said the boat had been travelling with 305 people aboard when it capsized near Obock on Thursday night.
The BBC also said IOM’s Djibouti mission chief Alexandre Coissac called the tragedy a “stark reminder” of the dangers migrants face when seeking a new life elsewhere. The IOM said it was providing assistance to 64 survivors at its response centre in Obock, including healthcare and support to restore contact with their families.
Route risks and next steps
The IOM said tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa make the perilous journey each year hoping to reach Gulf countries for safety and work, and it said the crossing continues despite instability in the region. The IOM said it had recorded “more than 20,000 incoming movements to Djibouti from Ethiopia” since September 10, and it said the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a popular but dangerous route. The BBC said more than 900 migrants died or went missing taking the same route in 2025, and it said the number of people attempting the journey increased by 18%.
The IOM said Djiboutian authorities were continuing search and rescue operations, while the UN migration office said it was working in close collaboration with local authorities to help migrants and prevent deaths at sea and on land. The IOM urged donors and partners to strengthen support for Djibouti’s response, including search and rescue operations and life-saving assistance, as the missing were still unaccounted for.