Djibouti, Djibouti— At least 139 people died when an overcrowded migrant boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti early on October 18, 2026, in one of the deadliest incidents on the route this year.
The vessel was carrying migrants attempting the crossing from the Horn of Africa toward the Arabian Peninsula when it went down, according to officials. Fishermen first spotted bodies in the water. Patrol boats were dispatched within the hour.
The International Organization for Migration said the death toll climbed through the morning as more bodies were recovered. Survivors were few. The exact number on board remains unclear, and officials fear the count will rise.
Djiboutian coast guard crews pulled victims from rough seas while IOM staff waited at the port to register survivors. One official said the boat was overloaded, unstable, and never meant for open water. Smugglers routinely use such craft.
The route is known. Thousands attempt it each month, paying smugglers to cross the Bab al-Mandab strait. Many are young Ethiopians and Somalis. The crossing is short. The risks are high. Boats capsize. Engines fail.
"We received distress information at dawn and deployed immediately," a coast guard officer said at the harbor. IOM staff described scenes of families waiting for names that never came up on survivor lists.
Local hospitals in Djibouti City took in the injured. Volunteers brought blankets and water. Officials said identification will take days. Some bodies were still in the water by afternoon.
IOM has repeatedly warned that tighter border controls on land push more migrants to sea. The agency called for more search capacity and safer alternatives. No new measures have been announced.
Recovery operations continued into the night. Patrol boats kept sweeping the area with spotlights.
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