By Swift Reporter
At least 139 migrants, including children, have died after a boat carrying 305 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in one of the deadliest disasters recorded along the perilous migration route linking the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.
At least 84 people remained missing following the Thursday night or Friday morning incident, while more than 80 survivors, all Ethiopian nationals, were reported to have escaped the disaster. Rescue operations continued amid fears that the death toll could rise as authorities searched for those still unaccounted for.
The boat was travelling from Djibouti towards Yemen across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major migration corridor used by thousands of people seeking employment, safety and better economic opportunities in Gulf countries. Videos shared by the IOM showed personal belongings believed to have belonged to the migrants, including shoes, scattered along a beach.
The tragedy has renewed concerns over the dangers faced by migrants undertaking irregular sea crossings in search of better lives, often aboard overcrowded and unsafe vessels. Thousands of people from Ethiopia and other parts of the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti every year before attempting the crossing to Yemen, despite the risks and escalating fighting in the country.
“This is a devastating loss of life,” said Alexandre Coissac, the IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti, warning that the disaster highlighted the dangers confronting migrants along the route.
IOM Director General Amy Pope said the deaths should not be accepted as a normal consequence of migration, calling on governments and donors to expand safe and legal pathways for people seeking opportunities abroad.
“No one gets into a boat like that unless they believe there is no other safe way,” Pope said, urging authorities to act before another vessel meets a similar fate.
According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the route in the previous year, underscoring the persistent humanitarian crisis surrounding migration across the Red Sea.
The latest disaster adds to growing concerns over dangerous sea journeys undertaken by migrants fleeing poverty, insecurity and limited economic opportunities, with rescue teams continuing efforts to locate survivors and recover those missing.