At least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 are missing after a boat capsized while sailing from Djibouti to Yemen, a UN agency said on Sunday.

The boat, which was carrying about 350 people, capsized near Guhere, north of Obock — a port town in Djibouti — during the evening of October 8, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said, citing survivor accounts.

More than 80 people survived the shipwreck, all Ethiopian nationals, the report said.

“This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives,” Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, said in the statement.

“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities.”

A spokesperson for the Ethiopian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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