At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died after a boat went down off the coast of Djibouti, and dozens more are still unaccounted for, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. The vessel was headed for Yemen with 350 people aboard when it overturned close to Obock on Thursday night. The agency said around 80 people were rescued.
IOM’s Djibouti mission chief, Alexandre Coissac, described the disaster as a “stark reminder” of the risks migrants face while searching for a new life abroad.
Recovered bodies and care for survivors in Obock
In a statement on Friday, the agency said the bodies recovered so far included:
- 52 men
- 42 women
- nine girls
- six boys
Coissac said the loss of life was devastating. He added that his thoughts were with the survivors, and with families who had lost relatives or still had no news of them.
Local authorities are arranging burials for those who died. All of the survivors are Ethiopian nationals, and medical care is readily available to them. IOM is assisting 64 of them at its response centre in Obock, including healthcare and help to reconnect with their families.
The UN agency said it is working closely with local authorities to help migrants and prevent deaths at sea and on land.
Conflict and hardship keep the route busy
Yemen has been engulfed in a devastating civil war for more than ten years. Even so, migrants continue to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, pushed by poverty, insecurity and the growing effects of climate change.
According to the UN agency, tens of thousands of people from the Horn of Africa make the dangerous trip each year, hoping to reach Gulf states for safety and employment.
Recent figures on deaths along the route
Since 10 September, the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix has recorded more than 20,000 movements from Ethiopia to Djibouti.
IOM figures show that more than 900 migrants died or went missing on the same route in 2025, while the number of people attempting the journey rose by 18%. In March 2026, a similar incident killed nine people and left 45 missing.
