15 Children Among 139 Dead After Migrant Boat Sinks off Djibouti

At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died after a boat carrying over 300 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration. The vessel went down during the night of October 8–9 near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, while traveling toward Yemen. The disaster has prompted urgent rescue efforts and renewed international focus on the dangers of the Eastern Route, a primary migration corridor from the Horn of Africa.

The capsized vessel was carrying 305 people at the time of the tragedy, according to survivor accounts cited by the IOM. Alexandre Coissac, the IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti, told the Associated Press that the official death toll strictly comprises bodies buried by authorities in Djibouti. Additional victims buried independently by migrants will not be added to the official count until authorities can formally verify them.

Media additions

Local authorities and UN teams have mobilized emergency responses in the wake of the disaster. The IOM reported that it was assisting survivors at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock, offering healthcare, psychosocial support, temporary shelter, food, and protection services, alongside family reunification assistance. Djiboutian authorities have continued search-and-rescue operations for those still missing, while local officials coordinate medical care and burials for the victims, according to reporting by Newsweek.

The dangerous sea crossing is part of a broader migration pattern across the Horn of Africa. Tens of thousands of migrants travel through Djibouti annually, aiming to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait toward Yemen and eventually reach Gulf countries in search of employment and stability. Economic hardship, drought, and insecurity in Ethiopia are primary drivers of the movement, with the IOM noting that its Displacement Tracking Matrix recorded more than 20,000 incoming movements from Ethiopia to Djibouti since September 10, as reported by the BBC.

These movements persist despite severe instability on both sides of the corridor. Yemen remains gripped by a long-running civil war involving Saudi Arabia-backed government forces and Iran-aligned Houthi fighters, alongside renewed fighting that has displaced thousands, according to Al-Monitor. Concurrently, violence has flared in Ethiopia, including reported forced recruitment and conflict following the Tigray war. As a complex migration hub, Djibouti simultaneously receives thousands of people fleeing the conflict in Yemen by sea while watching migrants depart for the Arabian Peninsula.

Maritime migration routes in the region have a history of fatal incidents. More than 900 migrants died or went missing along the same sea route in 2025 during an 18 percent rise in crossing attempts, and a separate shipwreck in March 2026 left nine dead and 45 missing, according to Newsweek. Following the disaster, IOM Director General Amy Pope issued a renewed plea regarding safe pathways.

"No one gets into a boat like that unless they believe there is no other safe way. We cannot keep treating these deaths as normal. Safe and legal pathways save lives. I am asking governments and donors to act before the next boat goes down."

Amy Pope, Director General, via Newsweek

Search-and-rescue operations by Djiboutian authorities remain ongoing, and the final casualty count may shift as verification of bodies continues, as noted by Around Prague.