At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead and about 116 remain missing after a boat carrying roughly 350 people capsized off Djibouti’s coast late on October 8‑9, the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Sunday.
The vessel, traveling from Djibouti to Yemen, overturned north of the town of Obock. IOM teams on the ground, working with Djiboutian authorities, are providing emergency assistance to survivors.
“This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives,” said Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, in a statement.
He added that emergency aid is being delivered by IOM and local officials to those who survived.
The tragedy highlights the perilous conditions faced by migrants using the Djibouti‑Yemen corridor to reach Gulf countries via the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait. “This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities,” the IOM noted.
Among the recovered bodies were 52 men, 42 women, and 15 children—nine girls and six boys.
More than 80 people survived the shipwreck; all were Ethiopian nationals.
“Poverty, insecurity and the growing impacts of climate change drive many to undertake this journey, despite mounting instability across the Middle East,” the IOM said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
