Over 100 migrants dead, 116 missing after boat capsizes off Djibouti

Mangalore Today News Network

Djibouti, Oct 12, 2026: At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 remain missing after a boat carrying around 305 people capsized while travelling from Djibouti to Yemen, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.

The boat capsized near Guhere, north of Obock, a port town in Djibouti, during the night of October 8–9, according to accounts from survivors cited by the IOM.

More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all of them Ethiopian nationals, the agency said. An Ethiopian government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Of the 109 bodies recovered, 52 were men, 42 were women and 15 were children, including nine girls and six boys, the IOM said.

“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” said Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities,” Coissac said.

Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations, while local officials are providing medical care to survivors and arranging burials for the deceased, the IOM said. The Djibouti government was not immediately available for comment.

The tragedy comes amid escalating conflict in Yemen between Saudi Arabia-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Fighting has intensified since a United Nations-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022, raising concerns about the country’s stability and security along key Red Sea shipping routes.

The IOM said the conflict had triggered an alarming humanitarian crisis, with displacement figures rising to 200,000 from 76,000 in mid-September, according to data released last week.

More than 3,700 people had also fled Yemen by sea to Djibouti as of last week, the agency said.

Meanwhile, fighting broke out in Ethiopia last month, marking the country’s biggest escalation of violence since the Tigray war.