IOM raises Djibouti shipwreck toll to 139 dead; 84 remain missing

The International Organization for Migration says at least 139 people, including 15 children, died after an overcrowded boat carrying 305 people capsized off Djibouti during the night of Oct. 8–9. The vessel was traveling toward Yemen. The updated toll leaves 84 people missing. Eighty-two survivors, all Ethiopian nationals, have been accounted for, according to the IOM figures reported by the Associated Press and AFP. The death toll rose from 109 after more bodies were recovered. Rescue work was continuing on Sunday. IOM’s chief of mission in Djibouti told AP that overcrowding was the main cause of the sinking. Survivors were receiving medical and psychological support at an IOM center in Obock. The route across the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea is used by migrants traveling from the Horn of Africa toward the Gulf states. IOM figures cited by AP say more than 900 people died or went missing on the route in 2025. Sources: [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/a9e324ca36a7d9dee0e745c736c8aa95) · [AFP via L’Orient Today](https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1550443/djibouti-boat-wreck-leaves-139-migrants-dead-84-missing-un.html) · [Reuters via Boursorama](https://www.boursorama.com/actualite-economique/actualites/au-moins-139-migrants-perissent-dans-un-naufrage-au-large-de-djibouti-af98840c6d72bd3fbfc335a29560d6ca) ~worldnews