At least 139 migrants, 15 of them children, have died after a boat travelling from Djibouti to Yemen capsized off Obock, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) says, according to the BBC.
The boat was carrying 305 people. It capsized near Obock on Thursday night, the BBC reported, citing the IOM.
Another 84 people remain missing, according to the BBC.
The toll has risen. The IOM revised its figure from 109 after 30 more bodies were recovered, the BBC reported.
The ABC gave a more precise place and time. It reported that the boat went down near Guhere, north of Obock, on Thursday night into Friday morning local time, with the IOM citing survivor accounts.
The boat sank soon after departing, the ABC reported. According to the ABC, Alexandre Coissac of the IOM said it went down “mainly because it was overcrowded”.
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The Survivors and the Missing
Around 82 people were rescued, all of them Ethiopian nationals, the BBC reported. The IOM is helping 64 survivors at its response centre in Obock, according to the BBC.
Coissac spoke about the people affected. “This is a devastating loss of life,” Coissac said, according to the BBC. “Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives.”
The ABC reported, citing Coissac, that the official toll counts only those buried by authorities in Djibouti. Migrants buried others themselves, the ABC reported.
Why People Make the Crossing
The route runs across the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the sea crossing between the Horn of Africa and Yemen. Migrants make the journey towards Yemen hoping to reach Gulf countries, the BBC reported.
Yemen itself is at war. The country is seeing its most serious escalation of fighting between Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis since the 2022 truce, according to the ABC.
The IOM said the fighting has not stopped people setting out. “Despite the violence in Yemen, migrants are still making the perilous journeys hoping to make it to the Gulf countries,” the IOM said in a statement quoted by the ABC.
People are also moving the other way. More than 3,700 people have fled Yemen by sea to Djibouti, the ABC reported, citing the IOM. That is the opposite direction to the one the capsized boat was taking.
Further reporting on the region is on prw’s international news page.
A Route That Keeps Claiming Lives
Thursday’s capsize follows earlier losses on the same crossing. More than 900 migrants died or went missing on the same route in 2025, the BBC reported, citing IOM statistics.
In March 2026, nine people were killed and 45 went missing in a similar incident, according to the BBC.
Coissac also spoke about the risks of the corridor. According to the ABC, Coissac said: “This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities.”
Of the 305 people on board, 84 were still missing when the BBC published its report.
Sources: BBC News, “Djibouti boat capsize: Children among 139 dead with 84 still missing, UN says”, 11 October 2026 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy7lxx60dg5o); ABC News, “At least 139 migrants dead after boat from Djibouti to Yemen capsizes”, 12 October 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-12/migrant-boat-from-djibouti-to-yemen-capsizes/107254724)
Image: Richard Weil, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Open water in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the sea crossing between the Horn of Africa and Yemen. Shown for context only; it does not depict the capsize.