OMM Redaksiyası
At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, died after a boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, and dozens more are still missing, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said, according to the BBC.
The boat was carrying 350 people from Djibouti to Yemen when it overturned near the port town of Obock on Thursday night. About 80 people were rescued, the agency said.
The bodies recovered included 52 men, 42 women, nine girls and six boys, the IOM said in a statement on Friday.
Alexandre Coissac, head of the IOM mission in Djibouti, called the incident a “stark reminder” of the dangers migrants face while seeking a new life elsewhere. “This is a devastating loss of life,” he said, offering condolences to survivors and families who had lost relatives or were still waiting for news.
Local authorities are arranging burials. The survivors, all Ethiopian nationals, have access to medical care. The IOM said it was assisting 64 survivors at its response centre in Obock, including with healthcare and help to restore contact with their families.
Tens of thousands of people from the Horn of Africa make the hazardous journey each year, hoping to reach Gulf countries for safety and work, according to the UN agency. Despite Yemen’s more than decade-long civil war and wider regional instability, migrants continue to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, driven by poverty, insecurity and the effects of climate change.
Since 10 September, the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix has recorded more than 20,000 “movements” from Ethiopia to Djibouti. The agency said more than 900 migrants died or went missing on the same route in 2025, as the number attempting the journey rose by 18%.
In March 2026, a similar incident killed nine people and left 45 missing. The IOM said it was working closely with local authorities to assist migrants and prevent deaths at sea and on land.
