Djibouti shipwreck death toll reaches 139 as 84 remain missing

At least 139 migrants have died after their boat capsized off Djibouti, with 84 people still missing, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on 11 October 2026. The toll rose from 109 after the bodies of 30 more people were recovered. Search and rescue efforts are continuing, and about 82 people survived the shipwreck.indiablooms.com+1

The boat was carrying 305 people from Djibouti towards Yemen when it went down near Guehere, north of Obock, on the night of 8-9 October 2026. IOM described it as one of the deadliest shipwrecks recorded on the Eastern Route, which runs from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. Djiboutian authorities continue search and recovery operations as fears grow for those still unaccounted for.

Why the crossing keeps killing

The Eastern Route sees tens of thousands of people from the Horn of Africa pass through Djibouti each year, crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into Yemen and eventually reaching Gulf countries in search of employment, security and stability. Poverty, regional insecurity and the growing effects of climate change drive people towards the journey despite the risks at sea and the dangers awaiting them in Yemen.

Migrants who reach Yemen face violence, arbitrary arrest, detention, exploitation and human trafficking. The route's death toll keeps mounting: IOM's Missing Migrants Project recorded more than 900 migrant deaths or disappearances along the corridor in 2025, as the overall volume of journeys increased by 18 per cent. In March 2026, another shipwreck off the coast left nine people dead and 45 missing.allafrica.com

The shipwreck comes as Djibouti deals with traffic in both directions. Since 10 September, IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix has recorded more than 20,000 movements into the country from Ethiopia, as migrants keep heading for the Gulf despite the return to full-scale fighting in Yemen. Over roughly the same period, more than 3,700 refugees have arrived from Yemen, while 539 Ethiopian migrants have come back from there.

Where the numbers came from

Alexandre Coissac, IOM's chief of mission in Djibouti, told journalists in Geneva on 6 October that the country was facing "overlapping emergencies". "Djibouti is therefore confronting movements in both directions," he said, adding that migrants were increasingly becoming stranded, with more than 3,000 seen along routes in Djibouti between 20 and 30 September, often without access to basic services.

IOM Director General Amy Pope said: "No one gets into a boat like that unless they believe there is no other safe way." She added: "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."

What happens next

The UN Resident Coordinator in Djibouti, Jose Barahona, said he was deeply saddened by the loss of at least 139 lives, among them children. "Our thoughts are with the victims, the survivors and the families waiting for news of their loved ones," Barahona said on social media, adding that the UN expressed solidarity and welcomed the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

IOM is providing emergency assistance to survivors at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock, including healthcare, psychosocial support, food, shelter and protection services. The agency said it was working closely with Djiboutian authorities to support rescue operations and prevent migrant deaths on land and at sea. IOM warned that expanding humanitarian needs were outstripping the limited funding available, and called on international donors and partners to urgently strengthen support for Djibouti's search and rescue response and press for expanded safe migration pathways to reduce the risks faced by people undertaking these journeys. Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and recovery operations for the 84 people still missing, with IOM providing emergency care to the about 82 survivors at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock.