AT LEAST 109 DEAD, OVER 116 MISSING AFTER MIGRANT BOAT CAPSIZES OFF DJIBOUTI

Sun 11 October 2026:

IOM Reports Shipwreck Near Guhere En Route to Yemen; More Than 80 Survive

At least 109 people, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 remain missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Djibouti’s eastern coast, the United Nations migration agency said on Sunday.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said survivors reported that the incident occurred near Guhere, facing the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandeb strait, between Thursday night and before dawn on Friday. The vessel was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen with more than 300 people on board. More than 80 survivors — all Ethiopians — were rescued, while Djiboutian search-and-rescue efforts continued.

“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti Alexandre Coissac said, lamenting the “devastating loss of life”.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities.”

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

The Bab al-Mandeb waterway, which narrows to just 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) between Djibouti and Yemen, remains a heavily used but perilous crossing for thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa. Many attempt the journey in search of work and safety in Gulf countries, despite heightened regional instability linked to the US-Israel war on Iran and renewed fighting in Yemen between government forces and Houthi fighters last month.

According to the IOM, more than 20,000 people have entered Djibouti from Ethiopia since September 10. Last year, more than half a million people tried to travel this route into Yemen, with at least 900 dying or going missing. Djibouti also continues to receive thousands of people fleeing Yemen because of the renewed conflict.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22