Death Toll in Djibouti Shipwreck Revised Up to at Least 139, IOM Says; About 84 Missing, 82 Survived
The death toll from the migrant boat capsize off Djibouti has been revised sharply upward, Reuters reported on Oct. 11. The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said at least 139 migrants died — including at least 15 children — with about 84 people missing and 82 survivors out of 305 people on board. GSM earlier reported the IOM's initial figures of 109 dead and 116 missing; with more bodies recovered, the death toll has risen while the missing count has fallen, marking the largest update since the disaster.
The boat capsized during the night of Oct. 8–9 near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, while sailing from Djibouti to Yemen, according to survivor accounts given to the IOM. The vessel sank soon after departure, mainly because it was overcrowded. All 82 survivors are Ethiopian nationals. IOM's chief of mission in Djibouti, Alexandre Coissac, told the Associated Press that the official count so far includes only bodies buried by the Djiboutian authorities; some victims were buried by fellow migrants and will not be added until the bodies can be verified, so the final toll could rise further.
About 64 survivors are being assisted at the IOM's Migrant Response Centre in Obock, receiving healthcare, psychosocial support, food, shelter and protection services, while Djiboutian authorities continue search and recovery operations. IOM Director General Amy Pope said no one boards such a boat unless they believe it is their only safe way out, and urged governments and donors to act before the next boat goes down.
The migrants had been hoping to reach wealthier Gulf states via Yemen. The Horn of Africa–to–Yemen crossing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, known as the Eastern Route, is one of the world's deadliest migration corridors: IOM's Missing Migrants Project recorded more than 900 deaths and disappearances along the route in 2025. According to the agency, more than 20,000 incoming movements from Ethiopia to Djibouti have been recorded since Sept. 10.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 国际空间站拍摄的亚丁湾与非洲之角（NASA，公共领域，Wikimedia Commons）
