A boat carrying about 350 people capsized near Guhere, north of Obock in Djibouti, on October 8, leaving at least 109 migrants dead and more than 116 missing. Djiboutian authorities were still carrying out search and rescue operations on Sunday, while IOM was assisting 64 survivors at the Obock Migrant Response Centre.
Among the dead were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children, including nine girls and six boys. More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, and all of the survivors were Ethiopian nationals.
Obock Migrant Response Centre
Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, said: “This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives” and “Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities.”
The response centered on the Obock Migrant Response Centre, where IOM said 64 survivors were receiving assistance. Djiboutian authorities kept searching for the people still missing, and the count of dead and unaccounted for meant the final toll had not settled even after the first rescue phase ended.
Bab el-Mandeb Strait route
The capsized boat was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen, part of a route that crosses the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. IOM’s Missing Migrants Project says more than 900 migrants died or went missing along this route in 2025, a number that places the October 8 disaster inside a wider pattern rather than a single isolated wreck.
For the families waiting for news, the immediate facts are stark: 109 dead, more than 116 missing, and 64 survivors already in care in Obock. The unresolved question is what caused the boat to capsize near Guhere, and Djiboutian authorities were still searching when IOM disclosed the toll on Sunday.
