Six Migrants Confirmed Dead, Five Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Comoros

MORONI, Comoros – At least six migrants have died and several remain missing, following a tragic double boat incident off the coast of the Comoros. According to local authorities, the incident took place around May 13, when two traditional boats, known as kwassas capsized in heavy seas. Some of the migrants were trying to reach the French administered island of Mayotte. 

The first vessel, carrying 16 people, issued a distress call when it ran into trouble, a second vessel arrived managing to rescue 6 passengers, but then tragically both boats capsized. 

Among the victims were two children aged seven and eight. Their mother, initially among those rescued, later died in hospital. Five additional passengers remain missing and are presumed dead. 

“This heartbreaking incident underscores the deadly risks migrants face on this infamously dangerous sea route. Behind these statistics are real people and families seeking better opportunities who have paid the ultimate price.” Sonia Rosi, Head of Office at the International Organization for Migration in Comoros. 

The tragedy adds to mounting casualties in what is known as the Anjouan-Mayotte corridor. IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has documented 69 migrant deaths on the Western Indian Ocean route in 2024 alone, contributing to 363 deaths since 2015. These figures represent only minimum estimates, as many incidents go unreported. A 2012 French Senate report estimated between 7,000 and 10,000 deaths on this crossing between 1995 and 2011, highlighting the route’s long-standing dangers. 

IOM is advocating for the urgent need to establish safe and legal pathways for migrants to reduce the dangers faced by children, women, and men along this route in risky sea journeys. Through its current work in Comoros, IOM is working on supporting the authorities to disrupt smuggling networks that exploit vulnerable migrants by providing specialized training and equipment to border police and coast guard units, while supporting mixed anti-smuggling brigades. Systematically documenting tragedies through expanded Missing Migrants Project coverage, deploying community focal points and feeding real-time data into national and regional early-warning systems, and strengthening regional cooperation on migration governance. 

“Only through combined action against smuggling, robust data collection, and community outreach can we save lives and provide would-be migrants with dignified alternatives to these perilous crossings. Once again, IOM urges governments and the international community to prioritize the creation of safe, legal migration pathways to prevent future tragedies and protect vulnerable migrants seeking better lives”. Roger Charles Evina, Head of Mission for IOM Madagascar and Comoros.