At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died and dozens more are still missing after a boat sank off the coast of Djibouti, according to the United Nations' migration office. The boat was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen with 305 people aboard when it capsized near the port town of Obock on Thursday night. Approximately 82 people were rescued, as reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
IOM's Djibouti mission chief, Alexandre Coissac, stated that the tragedy serves as a "stark reminder" of the dangers migrants face when seeking a new life. Tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa undertake this perilous journey each year, hoping to reach Gulf countries for safety and work, according to the agency.
The organization revised its death toll from 109 on Sunday after 30 more bodies were recovered. "This is a devastating loss of life," Coissac said. "Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives."
Local authorities are arranging burials for those who have died, while the survivors, all Ethiopian nationals, have access to medical care. Yemen remains in a prolonged civil war that has lasted more than a decade. Despite the conflict and increasing instability in the region, migrants continue to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen, driven by poverty, insecurity, and the impacts of climate change.
Since September 10, the IOM has observed over 20,000 movements from Ethiopia to Djibouti. The organization is providing assistance to 64 of the survivors at its response center in Obock, including healthcare and support to restore contact with their families. The UN agency is working closely with local authorities to help migrants and prevent deaths at sea and on land.
In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing on the same route, marking an 18% increase in the number of people attempting the journey, according to IOM statistics. In March 2026, nine people were killed and 45 went missing in a similar incident. The conflict in Yemen has displaced over 130,000 people across the country, as reported by the UN refugee agency last month. Thousands of Yemenis have fled to Djibouti to escape the civil war between Houthi fighters and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Djibouti is a small former French colony located just across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen.