At least 109 dead, over 100 missing as migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti

Search and rescue operations conducted after vessel carrying more than 300 people capsizes near Guhere.

A member of the International Organization for Migration inspects the abandoned wreckage of a boat that capsized off the coast of Djibouti on April 12, 2026 [File: Luis Tato/AFP]

At least 109 people, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 are missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, according to the United Nations migration agency.

In a statement on Sunday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) quoted survivors as saying that the incident happened near Guhere off Djibouti’s eastern coast facing the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandeb strait from Thursday night to before dawn on Friday.

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The boat was heading from Djibouti to Yemen with more than 300 people on board. More than 80 people – all Ethiopians – survived the shipwreck while Djiboutian search and rescue operations continued.

“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti Alexandre Coissac said, lamenting the “devastating loss of life”.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities.”

Crossing Bab al-Mandeb, a waterway that measures just 20km (12.4 miles) at its narrowest points between Djibouti and Yemen, is a popular but dangerous route for thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa.

Many embark on this journey in search of employment and safety in Gulf countries, undeterred by the rising instability in the region due to the US-Israel war on Iran and the resumption of fighting in Yemen between government forces and Houthi fighters last month.

The IOM said it had recorded “more than 20,000 incoming movements to Djibouti from Ethiopia” since September 10. Last year, more than half a million people tried to move along this route into Yemen, and at least 900 people died or are missing, according to the agency.

Djibouti is not only a place where migrants depart from, but several thousand people are also fleeing to the country from Yemen due to the renewed conflict.

载有 300 多人的船只在古赫雷附近倾覆后，展开了搜救行动。

2026年4月12日，国际移民组织的一名成员正在检查一艘在吉布提海岸附近倾覆的废弃船只残骸。[图片：路易斯·塔托/法新社]

据联合国移民机构称，一艘船在吉布提海岸附近倾覆，造成至少 109 人死亡，其中包括 15 名儿童，另有 116 人失踪。

国际移民组织（IOM）周日发表声明，援引幸存者的话说，这起事件发生在吉布提东海岸的古赫雷附近，面向亚丁湾和曼德海峡，时间从周四晚上持续到周五黎明前。

吉布提呼吁援助，数千名也门人逃往该国（列表1/3）

（共3条） 吉布提呼吁世界援助，也门战争导致难民涌入

联合国称，也门战乱升级，超过20万人流离失所（共3项，此为第3项）。

这艘船载有300多人，从吉布提驶往也门。沉船事故中，80多人（全部是埃塞俄比亚人）幸存，吉布提的搜救行动仍在继续。

国际移民组织驻吉布提首席代表亚历山大·科伊萨克表示：“我们的团队正与当地政府一起在现场提供紧急援助”，并对“惨重的生命损失”表示痛惜。

“这场悲剧鲜明地提醒我们，移民在这条移民走廊上寻求经济机会时面临着怎样的危险。”

穿越曼德海峡（Bab al-Mandeb）是一条位于吉布提和也门之间的水道，最窄处仅有 20 公里（12.4 英里），对于成千上万来自非洲之角的移民来说，这是一条热门但危险的路线。

许多人踏上这段旅程，是为了在海湾国家寻找工作和安全，尽管由于美国和以色列对伊朗的战争以及上个月也门政府军和胡塞武装之间重新爆发战斗，该地区局势日益动荡，但他们仍然毫不气馁。

国际移民组织表示，自9月10日以来，已记录到“超过2万起从埃塞俄比亚进入吉布提的移民潮”。该机构称，去年有超过50万人试图沿着这条路线进入也门，至少有900人死亡或失踪。

吉布提不仅是移民的出发地，而且由于也门冲突再度爆发，还有数千人逃往该国。