At least 139 migrants die in boat disaster off Djibouti coast

An overcrowded boat carrying 305 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti on the night of 8–9 October, resulting in at least 139 deaths and 84 missing persons, according to the International Organization for Migration. The vessel, which departed near the town of Obock, was heading toward Yemen and carried mostly Ethiopian nationals. It sank shortly after departure.

Alexandre Coissac, the IOM's chief of mission in Djibouti, told AFP that survivors reported the boat beginning to sink backwards almost immediately after boarding. The IOM initially reported 109 dead and 116 missing before revising these figures to 139 dead and 84 missing as more bodies were recovered. Of the bodies recovered initially, 52 were men, 42 were women and 15 were children.

The IOM's updated figures indicate that 82 people survived the wreck, all Ethiopian nationals. Coissac noted that one survivor came from Tigray, a region in northern Ethiopia where fighting between rebel forces and the federal government has recently resumed. He explained that poverty, insecurity and the effects of climate change continue to motivate migrants to attempt the perilous crossing of the Bab al-Mandab Strait toward Gulf countries, despite increasing instability throughout the region.