(AFP File Photo)
At least 109 migrants died, including 15 children, and some 116 went missing when a boat sank off the shores of Djibouti overnight on Oct. 8-9, a U.N. agency said on Oct. 11.
Survivors said the vessel, which was carrying 350 people from Djibouti to Yemen, capsized north of the Djibouti town of Obock, according to a statement from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“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, in the statement.
He said IOM teams were on the ground alongside Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency aid.
“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities” by trying to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen and then to reach Gulf countries.
Among the 109 bodies recovered were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children, nine girls and six boys, the statement said.
Since Sept. 10, the IOM detected more than 20,000 crossings to Djibouti from Ethiopia.
In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the sea route to Yemen and the number attempting the journey increased by 18 percent, it said.
The IOM urged “donors and partners to strengthen support for Djibouti’s response, including search and rescue operations and life-saving assistance.”
