World·Africa

At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, die as overcrowded boat capsizes off Djibouti

Published 6:00 AM CT, Monday, October 12, 2026
In the 6 AM CT update

A boat carrying 305 people from Djibouti toward Yemen capsized Thursday night or early Friday near Guhere, north of Obock, killing at least 139 people, including 15 children, the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said Sunday. At least 84 people remain missing and more than 80 survived, all of them Ethiopian nationals, and an IOM official told AP the toll could rise because the boat sank "mainly because it was overcrowded." More than 900 migrants died or went missing on the route from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula last year, the IOM said.

• Djibouti
• Migrant boat
• Yemen
• Ethiopia
• IOM
• Obock
• Human smuggling
• Horn of Africa
• Red Sea