At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died after an overcrowded boat carrying 305 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti while travelling towards Yemen, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The vessel capsized near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, during the night of October 8 to 9, the agency said on Sunday. A further 84 people remain missing, while 82 survivors have been reported.
The death toll rose from an initial report of 109 after additional bodies were recovered. The IOM said the official count includes bodies buried by Djiboutian authorities, while other victims reportedly buried by fellow migrants have yet to be verified.
Alexandre Coissac, the IOM’s chief of mission in Djibouti, said survivors reported that the boat began sinking shortly after they boarded. He described the incident as a devastating loss of life and said the agency was working alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance.
Search and rescue operations were continuing as fears grew for those still missing. Survivors, all reported to be Ethiopian nationals, were receiving medical and psychological support, including treatment for complications from swallowing seawater.
The migrants were travelling along the so-called Eastern Route, which connects the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Many make the journey hoping to find work and better economic opportunities in Gulf countries, despite risks including shipwrecks, human trafficking and detention.
The route remains heavily used despite escalating conflict in Yemen. The IOM said more than 20,000 movements from Ethiopia into Djibouti had been recorded since September 10, reflecting continued migration amid insecurity and difficult living conditions.
The agency reported that more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the Eastern Route in 2025, when the number of people undertaking the journey increased by 18 per cent.
IOM Director General Amy Pope called for governments and donors to expand safe and legal migration pathways, warning that the deaths should not be treated as an inevitable part of migration.
The latest disaster is among the deadliest reported shipwrecks on the route, highlighting the risks faced by migrants who continue to cross the sea in overcrowded and unsafe vessels.
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