Children among 109 dead with 116 still missing, UN says

Key Points:

• At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying 350 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti near Obock, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
• Around 80 survivors, all Ethiopian nationals, were rescued and are receiving medical care and support to reconnect with their families at an IOM response center in Obock.
• The migrants were traveling from Djibouti to Yemen, despite Yemen's ongoing civil war and regional instability, driven by poverty, insecurity, and climate change impacts.
• The IOM highlighted the dangers faced by migrants on this route, noting that over 900 migrants died or went missing in 2025 alone, with an 18% increase in attempts to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
• Local authorities are arranging burials for the deceased, and the IOM is working closely with them to prevent further deaths at sea and on land.