At least 109 dead including children after migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti

At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died after an overcrowded vessel capsized off the coast of Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The vessel had departed Djibouti carrying an estimated 350 passengers bound for Yemen when it overturned overnight between October 8 and October 9. Survivors reported that the disaster took place near Guhere, located north of the coastal town of Obock. Over 116 people remain missing following the capsize.

Among the recovered victims were 42 women, 15 children, and dozens of adult men. More than 80 individuals survived the incident, all of whom are Ethiopian nationals. The IOM reported that it is currently supporting 64 of the survivors at its response facility in Obock, supplying food, medical treatment, and mental health aid.

Alexandre Coissac, the agency's mission head in Djibouti, described the event as a devastating loss of life and noted that the disaster serves as a stark reminder of the extreme hazards people face along this transit corridor while pursuing economic opportunities. Local authorities in Djibouti are carrying out search and rescue activities, tending to the injured, and organizing burials for the deceased in cooperation with the UN agency.

The sea crossing connecting the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula ranks among the most heavily traveled and perilous irregular migration channels globally. Each year, hundreds of thousands of migrants, primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia, attempt the journey to reach Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia to find work or flee regional conflict and climatic crises.

Migrants utilizing this corridor face severe threats, including trekking across arid terrain under extreme temperatures and embarking on dangerous sea crossings across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in vessels packed far beyond capacity by smugglers.

Data from the IOM's Missing Migrants Project indicates that more than 900 people lost their lives or disappeared along this path in 2025, even as overall movement grew by 18 percent. Earlier in March, another maritime tragedy in the area resulted in nine confirmed deaths and 45 missing persons.

The dangerous journeys persist despite ongoing instability across the Red Sea corridor, where combat between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed forces continues. That violence has simultaneously led over 3,800 people to flee in the opposite direction into Djibouti seeking safety, according to Djibouti's refugee and disaster agency.