At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died after an overcrowded boat capsized off Djibouti while heading to Yemen. Another 84 people remain missing, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which revised an earlier toll after 30 more bodies were recovered.
The vessel was carrying 305 people when it overturned near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, during the night of October 8–9. About 82 people survived, the IOM said.
Djiboutian authorities are continuing search-and-rescue operations, while the IOM and local officials are providing emergency assistance to survivors. The agency has described the crossing from the Horn of Africa to Yemen as dangerous, with many migrants attempting the journey in search of economic opportunities.
The route across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is often used by migrants travelling towards Gulf countries. The IOM has said poverty, insecurity and the effects of climate change contribute to people undertaking the journey, despite risks along the route.
The latest disaster follows a rise in migration along the corridor. The IOM said it recorded more than 20,000 crossings from Ethiopia into Djibouti between September 10 and Sunday. In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing on the sea route to Yemen, while attempted crossings increased by 18 per cent, the agency said.
