NAIROBI: At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, died and 84 went missing after an overcrowded boat sank while heading from Djibouti to Yemen, a UN agency said Sunday. The vessel was carrying 305 people, mostly Ethiopian nationals, when it capsized north of the Djibouti town of Obock on the night of October 8-9, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement.
"Survivors told me that the boat started to sink backwards as soon as they boarded," said Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti. "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." The IOM initially reported 109 dead and 116 missing, but revised the figures to 139 dead and 84 missing following the recovery of additional bodies.
Coissac stated that IOM teams are working alongside Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency assistance. "This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this corridor as they seek economic opportunities" by attempting to cross the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Yemen and subsequently reach Gulf countries, he added.
Coissac noted that he spoke with a survivor from the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, an area currently affected by conflict between rebels and the federal government. Among the 109 bodies initially recovered were 52 men, 42 women, and 15 children - nine girls and six boys.
According to the updated toll, 82 people survived the shipwreck, all of whom are Ethiopian nationals. The route across the Bab al-Mandab Strait remains one of the most perilous paths for migrants fleeing poverty and conflict in the Horn of Africa.
International aid organizations have repeatedly called for safer migration pathways to prevent such recurring tragedies. The IOM continues to coordinate with local authorities in Djibouti to manage the recovery operations and provide medical support to the survivors.
The incident highlights the desperation of those seeking to reach the Gulf states, often falling prey to human traffickers who operate unsafe vessels in these treacherous waters. As the investigation into the cause of the capsizing continues, the focus remains on identifying the victims and notifying their families back in Ethiopia.
The international community has expressed deep concern over the rising death toll in maritime migration routes, urging for more robust search and rescue capabilities in the region.