Djibouti boat capsizes with 305 migrants on board, at least 139 dead and 84 missing in deadly shipwreck

At least 139 people, including children, have died and 84 remain missing after a boat carrying 305 migrants capsized off Djibouti. Rescue operations continue as the tragedy highlights the dangers of the migration route towards Yemen and Gulf nations.

At least 139 people, including children, have died after a boat carrying 305 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti in East Africa, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.

Djibouti boat capsizes with migrant on board

At least 84 people remained missing, making the incident one of the deadliest shipwrecks on the increasingly dangerous migration route linking the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. Many migrants use the crossing in the hope of finding work and better opportunities in wealthy Gulf nations.

According to the IOM, the boat was travelling from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized late on Thursday or early on Friday. More than 80 people survived the incident, all of them Ethiopian nationals, the organisation said.

Rescue operations were continuing as concerns grew for those still unaccounted for. A video shared by the IOM showed personal belongings believed to have belonged to the migrants, including shoes, scattered along a beach.

Every year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti and cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait towards Gulf countries in search of safety and economic opportunities, the IOM said.

The movement has continued despite renewed fighting in Yemen, which lies across the strait.

What do the authorities have to say about this?

“This is a devastating loss of life,” said Alexandre Coissac, the IOM's Chief of Mission in Djibouti. He added that the tragedy highlighted the risks migrants face along the route while attempting to find economic opportunities.

IOM Director General Amy Pope also called for urgent action to prevent further deaths, stressing that people often undertake such dangerous journeys because they see no safer alternative.

“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,” said Pope.

The latest disaster underscores the continuing dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach the Arabian Peninsula by sea, often aboard overcrowded vessels that are ill-equipped for the journey.

According to the IOM's Missing Migrants Project, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along this route last year. The organisation has repeatedly called for safer migration options to reduce the loss of life along one of the region's most frequently used, yet perilous, crossings.