Djibouti: Djibouti Shipwreck Kills 109 Migrants, 116 Missing

What the report says

At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, died and more than 116 others were missing after a boat capsized off Djibouti while traveling toward Yemen, according to the International Organization for Migration, as reported by Horn Diplomat and distributed by AllAfrica. The vessel was said to have been carrying 305 people when it overturned near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, during the night of Oct. 8-9.

The agency said authorities had recovered 109 bodies and that more than 80 people survived. All of the survivors were Ethiopian nationals, and search-and-rescue work was still under way to find those unaccounted for. The dead included men, women and children, highlighting the scale of the loss on a route that is regularly used by migrants from the Horn of Africa.

IOM said it was helping 64 survivors at its migrant response center in Obock with medical care, psychological support, shelter, food and help contacting relatives. Djiboutian authorities were also providing treatment and arranging burials. The organization described the disaster as one of the deadliest on the Eastern Migration Route, which connects the Horn of Africa to Yemen and onward paths to Gulf states.

The report also said migration through Djibouti remains heavy despite the risks, including rough seas, trafficking and conflict in Yemen. IOM used the disaster to renew calls for stronger search-and-rescue support, more humanitarian funding and safer migration options.