Boat capsizes off Djibouti leaving 139 dead and scores missing

A maritime disaster off the coast of Djibouti has claimed the lives of at least 139 migrants, with scores more still unaccounted for, following the capsizing of a vessel bound for Yemen. The incident occurred during the overnight hours between October 8 and October 9, according to statements released Sunday by the International Organization for Migration.

The vessel had been transporting roughly 305 individuals across the maritime passage when it overturned near Guhere, situated north of the Djiboutian port community of Obock. Survivor testimonies collected by the UN migration agency indicated that more than 80 people survived the disaster, all of whom hold Ethiopian nationality. Over 80 other passengers remain missing as search and rescue teams continue their operations in the area.

Local officials and humanitarian workers initially recovered 109 bodies, before an additional 30 deceased individuals were located, prompting the IOM to update the overall fatality count. Among the initial group of recovered victims were 52 adult males, 42 women, and 15 children. Djiboutian personnel are coordinating burial arrangements, administering healthcare to survivors, and working alongside international teams to find any remaining victims.

Alexandre Coissac, who serves as the mission chief for the IOM in Djibouti, confirmed that emergency responders are operating on the ground in tandem with local authorities. He emphasized that the incident underscores the severe perils confronting people who navigate this specific transit corridor in pursuit of improved economic livelihoods.

The catastrophic journey comes against the backdrop of resurging armed conflict within Ethiopia's northern Tigray territory, unfolding nearly four years after an accord halted an earlier two-year war. Movement monitoring data compiled by the IOM documented greater than 20,000 arrivals into Djibouti from Ethiopia starting on September 10 alone. Ethiopian state representatives did not immediately issue remarks regarding the incident.

Each year, vast numbers of migrants originating from the Horn of Africa transit through Djibouti before boarding vessels across the Bab Al Mandeb strait. Their objective is typically to reach Yemen and subsequently travel onward to work in Gulf nations. These journeys persist despite concurrent hostilities along the Yemeni Red Sea coastline involving Yemen government units and Houthi fighters, which flared in early September. The conflict in Yemen has also prompted reverse migration, with the IOM recording more than 3,700 individuals crossing the water from Yemen to seek refuge in Djibouti.