At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 remain missing after a boat carrying around 305 people capsized while travelling from Djibouti to Yemen, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday, according to the news agency Reuters.
According to survivor accounts cited by the IOM, the boat overturned during the night of October 8–9 near Guhere, north of Obock, a port town in Djibouti.
More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all of them Ethiopian nationals, the IOM said. A spokesperson for the Ethiopian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Of the 109 bodies recovered so far, 52 were men, 42 were women and 15 were children, including nine girls and six boys, according to the IOM.
“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” said IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti Alexandre Coissac, adding, “This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities.”
Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue efforts, while local officials are providing medical assistance to survivors and making arrangements for the burial of those who died, the IOM said.
Yemen is witnessing its most significant escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels since a UN-mediated truce largely brought cross-border attacks to a halt in 2022. The renewed hostilities could alter territorial control in the country and have implications for shipping routes across the Red Sea.
The IOM has raised concerns over the worsening humanitarian crisis triggered by the fighting. According to data released by the agency last week, the number of displaced people has risen sharply to 200,000 from 76,000 in mid-September.
According to the IOM, more than 3,700 people had fled Yemen by sea to Djibouti as of last week.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia witnessed a fresh outbreak of fighting last month, marking the most significant escalation in violence since the Tigray war.
