Children among 109 dead after boat capsizes off Djibouti, UN says

At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and dozens more are still missing after a boat sank off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said.

The boat was travelling from Djibouti to Yemen with 350 people on board when it capsized near the port town of Obock on Thursday night. Around 80 people were rescued, the IOM said.

IOM's Djibouti mission chief Alexandre Coissac called the tragedy a "stark reminder" of the dangers migrants face while seeking a new life elsewhere.

Tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa make the perilous journey each year hoping to reach Gulf countries for safety and work, according to the UN agency.

In a statement on Friday, the organisation said 52 men, 42 women, nine girls and six boys were among the bodies recovered.

"This is a devastating loss of life," Coissac said.

"Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives," he added.

Local authorities are also arranging burials for those who have died, while the survivors - all Ethiopian nationals - have medical care readily available to them.

Yemen remains engulfed in a devastating civil war which has lasted more than a decade. Despite this conflict - and growing instability across the wider region - migrants still cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen driven by poverty, insecurity and the growing impacts of climate change.

Since 10 September, the IOM said its Displacement Tracking Matrix has observed more than 20,000 "movements" from Ethiopia to Djibouti.

IOM said it is providing assistance to 64 of the survivors at its response centre in Obock, including healthcare and support to "restore contact with their families".

The UN agency is working in "close collaboration" with local authorities to help migrants and "prevent deaths at sea and on land", it added.

According to IOM figures, more than 900 migrants died or went missing taking the same route in 2025, with an 18% increase in the number of people attempting the journey.

In March 2026, nine people were killed, and 45 were missing after a similar incident.

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