An overcrowded boat carrying 305 people from Djibouti toward Yemen capsized near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, on the night of October 8–9, killing at least 139 migrants — including 15 children — in one of the deadliest shipwrecks recorded on the Eastern Route.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on October 11 that 84 people remain missing as search-and-rescue operations continue. About 82 people survived, all of them Ethiopian nationals. The toll was revised upward from an initial count of 109 dead and 116 missing after 30 more bodies were recovered.
Among the 109 bodies initially retrieved were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children, including nine girls and six boys. The nationalities of the deceased and missing have not been established; only the survivors have been confirmed as Ethiopian. The IOM said 64 survivors were receiving emergency assistance — including healthcare and psychological support — at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock.
Alexandre Coissac, the IOM's Chief of Mission in Djibouti, described conditions aboard the vessel:
> "Survivors told me that the boat started to sink backwards as soon as they got in it."
Coissac warned that the tragedy reflects broader dangers along the corridor:
> "This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities."
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The IOM placed the number of passengers at 305, though some early reports cited approximately 350 people aboard. The discrepancy underscores the difficulty of establishing a definitive casualty count.
IOM teams are on the ground alongside Djiboutian authorities providing emergency aid. The Djibouti Coast Guard said the search for those still missing was continuing without pause.
The IOM recorded more than 20,000 incoming movements to Djibouti from Ethiopia since September 10. A prior shipwreck on the same route in March 2026 left nine people dead and 45 missing, the IOM reported. In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the eastern route, according to the IOM's Missing Migrants Project, even as the number of people undertaking the journey increased by 18 percent.
Large numbers of Ethiopian migrants use the Eastern Route through Djibouti or Somalia and Yemen toward Saudi Arabia. Migrants on the route frequently travel aboard overcrowded, poorly equipped vessels, facing rough seas, mechanical failures and exploitation by smugglers. Those who survive the sea crossing may face armed conflict, detention and abuse in Yemen before reaching Gulf destinations.
Sources: Ethiopia Observer, Horn Diplomat, International Organization for Migration, France 24, BirrMetrics.
