Geneva [Switzerland], October 11 (ANI): At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 others remain missing after a vessel carrying 305 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced on Sunday. 

According to an official statement released by the UN agency, the boat was travelling from Djibouti to Yemen when it overturned near Guhere, north of Obock, during the night of October 8-9, according to accounts provided by survivors. 

Among the 109 bodies recovered so far are 52 men, 42 women, and 15 children, comprising nine girls and six boys. More than 80 people survived the disaster, all of whom are Ethiopian nationals. Search and rescue operations led by Djiboutian authorities are continuing as fears grow for those still missing, while local officials provide medical care to survivors and arrange dignified burials for the deceased. 

The UN migration agency is currently assisting 64 survivors at its Obock Migrant Response Centre (MRC), delivering temporary shelter, healthcare, food, psychosocial support, protection services, and assistance to re-establish contact with their families.

Expressing sorrow over the disaster, Alexandre Coissac, IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti, emphasised the grave dangers facing migrants pursuing economic survival.

He stated, 'This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives. Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities.

The disaster underscores the extreme risks associated with the Eastern Migration Route, where tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti each year to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into Yemen, hoping to ultimately reach Gulf nations for employment, security, and stability. Widespread poverty, regional insecurity, and the intensifying impacts of climate change continue to drive migrants onto these treacherous journeys despite mounting instability across the Middle East.

According to IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix, more than 20,000 incoming migrant movements from Ethiopia into Djibouti have been recorded since September 10 alone. The perilous sea crossing represents only a fraction of the danger, as migrants reaching Yemen routinely encounter risks of violence, arbitrary arrest, detention, exploitation, and human trafficking, compounding the ongoing humanitarian crisis within the country.

Fatalities along the corridor have continued to escalate, with IOM's Missing Migrants Project recording more than 900 migrant deaths or disappearances along the route in 2025 as overall journey volume rose by 18 per cent. Another shipwreck off the coast in March 2026 left nine people dead and 45 missing.

While the IOM continues to work in close collaboration with Djiboutian authorities to support rescue operations and prevent deaths on land and at sea, the agency warned that expanding needs are outstripping limited funding.

The organisation urged international donors and partners to urgently bolster support for Djibouti's search and rescue response while calling for expanded safe migration pathways to mitigate risks for those undertaking these journeys. (ANI)