GENEVA: At least 139 people, including children, have died after a boat carrying 305 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti in east Africa, the International Organization for Migration said Sunday.
At least 84 people remained missing in one of the deadliest shipwrecks yet on the popular but perilous crossing from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, where many migrants seek work in rich Gulf nations.
The boat was traveling from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized on Thursday night or Friday morning, according to the IOM. More than 80 people survived, all of them Ethiopian nationals, it said.
Survivors said the vessel -- which was carrying 350 people from Djibouti to Yemen -- capsized north of the Djibouti town of Obock, according to a statement from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
"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," said Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, in the statement.
He said IOM teams were on the ground alongside Djiboutian authorities to provide emergency aid.
"This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities" by trying to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen and then to reach Gulf countries.
Among the 109 bodies recovered were 52 men, 42 women and 15 children -- nine girls and six boys -- the statement said.
More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all Ethiopian nationals.
"Poverty, insecurity and the growing impacts of climate change drive many to undertake this journey, despite mounting instability across the Middle East," the IOM said.
Yemen is stricken by fighting between the Saudi-backed government and Tehran-backed Houthi rebels, who have joined in the regional conflict involving the US and its allies against Iran.
IOM said it was assisting 64 survivors at a migrant centre in Obock.
"Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations as fears grow for those still missing."
Since September 10, the IOM detected more than 20,000 crossings to Djibouti from Ethiopia.
In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the sea route to Yemen and the number attempting the journey increased by 18 percent, it said.
A shipwreck in March 2026 left nine people dead and 45 missing.
IOM spokesman Kennedy Omondi Okoth told AFP this week that most of the people attempting the journey were from Ethiopia or Somalia.
He said many of them were ending up stuck in Djibouti.
The IOM urged "donors and partners to strengthen support for Djibouti's response, including search and rescue operations and life-saving assistance".
(With inputs from AP, AFP)