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Published snapshot: 12 Oct 2026 06:25 UTC. This edition does not update automatically; publication dates and details may become outdated.

At least 139 migrants dead after boat from Djibouti to Yemen capsizes

At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, died after a boat carrying 305 people capsized near Guhere, north of Djibouti’s Obock, while sailing from Djibouti to Yemen. The IOM is providing assistance to survivors.

What happened

A boat carrying migrants from Djibouti to Yemen capsized near Guhere, north of Djibouti’s Obock, on Thursday night into Friday morning local time. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that at least 139 people died, including 15 children. Eighty-four people remain missing. Survivor accounts, cited by the IOM’s chief of mission in Djibouti, Alexandre Coissac, indicated the vessel sank “mainly because it was overcrowded”. The IOM stated that the death toll includes only those buried by authorities in Djibouti, and others were buried by the migrants themselves, but verification of bodies is pending. More than 80 people survived, all of them Ethiopian nationals. The IOM reports that tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa make the crossing to the Arabian Peninsula seeking work in Gulf nations. The IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix has observed more than 20,000 movements from Ethiopia to Djibouti since September 10th. Authorities in Djibouti are continuing search and rescue operations, and local authorities are providing medical care to survivors and arranging burials for those who died. The IOM is providing healthcare, psychosocial support, food, and other assistance to 64 survivors at its Obock migrant response centre. The UN agency warned that the death toll could rise as additional bodies are verified.

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