139 Migrants Dead After Overloaded Boat Capsizes Off Djibouti

The death toll from the capsizing of an overcrowded migrant boat off Djibouti rose from 109 to at least 139 within hours on Sunday, and at least 84 people remain missing, the International Organization for Migration said. ^[1] The IOM said the dead include children, and that the figure could climb further.

The vessel was carrying more than 300 people when it went down, according to the agency. ^[2] It was heading for Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country and one of the main destinations for people leaving the Horn of Africa in search of work or safety. ^[3] Early reports gave conflicting numbers. Press TV, citing a UN agency, reported 109 deaths, including 15 children, and about 116 missing, with the boat carrying roughly 350 people and around 80 rescued. ^[4] Other outlets put the number on board at 225 or 305. ^[3] The gap matters because the number on board determines how many people the IOM can account for, and by Sunday evening the agency’s count of the dead had only moved upward.

The disaster came the same day Houthi-run Al Masirah reported Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport, a strike that, according to reports, followed earlier attacks on the same facility. ^[5] Yemen’s civil war has left most of its population dependent on aid, and the Houthi authorities and the Saudi-led coalition have each restricted movement in ways that aid groups say complicate rescue and documentation. Sea crossings from Djibouti and Somalia to Yemen have long been used by smugglers, who load boats far beyond their capacity and send them across the Gulf of Aden in conditions that are unforgiving even in calm weather.

The capsizing is the latest in a series of deadly incidents on migration routes this year. Earlier in 2026, a boat carrying migrants capsized off Libya, and in August a boat sank near Nigeria’s Sokoto region, killing at least 51 people, 40 of them children. ^[2] Each event has produced similar figures for the dead and missing, and each has drawn attention for a few days before the routes themselves went unchanged.

What stands out in the Djibouti case is the speed with which the count moved. An initial toll of 109 became 139 in a matter of hours, while the search for the 84 missing continues in open water. ^[6] Rescue teams are working against the clock, and the people still unaccounted for are most likely to die of exposure in the coming hours if they have not already drowned. Governments in the region have not yet said publicly what changes to patrols, search capacity, or smuggling enforcement they will make in response.

For Yemen, the disaster adds to a humanitarian emergency that has already displaced millions. For Djibouti, which hosts migrants and refugees while lacking the capacity to absorb large numbers, it is a test of whether emergency response can keep pace with the flow of boats. Until the missing are accounted for, the final toll remains open.