The number of migrants killed in a shipwreck off Djibouti rose to 139, after the recovery of another 30 bodies, according to IOM.
© Lusa
11/10/2026
by
Lusa
O number of migrants killed in a shipwreck off Djibouti on the night of Thursday to Friday rose to 139, after 30 more bodies were recovered, announced today the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In a new assessment, the IOM indicated that search and rescue efforts continue as fears about the missing increase.
The boat transported 305 people from Djibouti towards Yemen when it sank near Guehere, north of the Djibutian city of Oboque, on the night of October 8 to 9.
It is one of the most deadly shipwrecks recorded on the Eastern Route.
“ Nobody gets on a boat like this unless they believe there is no other safe way,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope, quoted in the statement.
“We cannot continue to treat these deaths as normal. Safe and legal ways save lives. I ask governments and donors to act before the next boat sinks,” he called on the head of this United Nations agency.
Personal objects likely belonging to migrants, including shoes, were seen on a beach in a video shared by the IOM, according to the Associated Press agency.
About 80 people survived the sinking.
IOM is providing emergency assistance to survivors at its Migrant Response Center in Oboque, including health care, psychosocial support, food, shelter and protection services.
Every year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti and cross the strait from Bab el-Mandeb to Yemen, hoping to reach the Gulf countries in search of security, stability and employment, and despite violence in Yemen.
Since September 10, more than 20,000 entry movements to Djibouti from Ethiopia have been registered by the IOM.
The organisation stressed, however, that the sea crossing “is only a part of the danger”.
Migrants arriving in Yemen “are facing risks of arbitrary violence, detention and detention, exploitation and trafficking,” he warned.