A great tragedy has struck the coast of Africa. The lives of migrants seeking a better future have been lost at sea. A boat carrying about 350 people capsized, killing 109 people. Among the dead were 15 children. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Sunday that more than 116 others are missing and that search operations are ongoing for them.

Going into details, the boat carrying migrants left Djibouti for Yemen on the night of October 8-9. The boat lost control and capsized as it approached Guhere, north of the port town of Obock in Djibouti. So far, 109 bodies have been recovered in the disaster. Of these, 52 were men, 42 were women, and 15 were children (nine girls and six boys).

More than 80 people survived the accident, all of them Ethiopian nationals, the IOM said. Of these, 64 are being sheltered at its Migrant Response Center in Obock and are receiving necessary assistance. Djiboutian authorities are continuing search and rescue operations for the missing. The exact causes of the boat sinking are not yet known.

Alexandre Koisak, IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti, expressed deep shock at the incident. "This is a heartbreaking loss of life. This incident reflects the dangers of this route, where thousands of migrants travel in the hope of reaching Gulf countries," he said. According to the IOM Missing Migrants Project, more than 900 migrants died or went missing on this route in 2025 alone.