At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, died and around 116 went missing after a boat sank off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.
“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,” he added. Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations amid growing fears for those still missing. Local authorities are also providing medical care to survivors and arranging dignified burials for those who died.
Of the 109 bodies recovered, 52 were men, 42 were women and 15 were children, including nine girls and six boys. More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all of them Ethiopian nationals. In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the sea route to Yemen and the number attempting the journey increased by 18 percent, it said.
