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The International Organization for Migration reported that at least 109 migrants died when their boat capsized near Guhere north of the port town of Obock during the night of October 8 to 9. Among the bodies recovered were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children consisting of nine girls and six boys according to the UN agency. More than 116 others remain missing while over 80 survivors all of them Ethiopian nationals reached safety from the vessel that carried 305 migrants in total.
IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti Alexandre Coissac said “This is a devastating loss of life.” He added that the agency’s thoughts were with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives. The organization is assisting 64 survivors at its Obock Migrant Response Centre with healthcare psychosocial support temporary shelter food and help restoring family contacts the IOM stated.
Djiboutian authorities continued search and rescue operations as fears mounted for those unaccounted for the agency noted. Local officials have provided medical care to the rescued and arranged dignified burials for the deceased. This capsizing ranks as the deadliest shipwreck recorded off Djibouti the IOM assessment found.
Tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa pass through Djibouti each year crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen in hopes of reaching Gulf countries for work and stability according to the IOM. An IOM review of the Eastern Route showed 922 migrant deaths or disappearances in 2025 a record that followed an 18 percent rise in journey attempts from the previous year. The agency’s Missing Migrants Project has tracked these figures as part of broader monitoring that placed more than 900 fatalities on the route last year.
Since September 10 of this year the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix has logged over 20,000 movements from Ethiopia into Djibouti. Another incident in March 2026 saw a similar capsizing that left nine dead and 45 missing along the same corridor the data showed. Poverty insecurity and climate change impacts continue to drive many Ethiopians and Somalis toward these perilous sea crossings the IOM has documented.
The agency is working alongside Djiboutian authorities to deliver emergency aid while calling for increased international support to bolster search and rescue capacities in the region. Coissac described the event as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants seeking economic opportunities on this route. IOM teams have focused on protection services and family reunification for those who survived.
