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CNN International: 139 Dead, 84 Missing After Boat Bound For Yemen Capsizes; Storm Triggers Floods Along Mexico Pacific Coast; Man Nears End Of 28-Year Journey To Walk Around The World. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 13, 2026 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: At least 139 people died when a boat carrying 300 migrants capsized while traveling from Djibouti to Yemen. At least 84 others remain missing. This marks one of the deadliest ship wrecks on the popular but perilous crossing from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, as migrants search for safety and economic opportunities in rich Gulf nations.

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STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESPERSON: UNHCR and IOM are working with the government in Djibouti to assess survivors' protection, needs and provide counseling and support to the survivors. This tragedy is yet another stark reminder of the dangers people face in search of safety, in search of work, and just in search of a better life for themselves and their families.

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MACFARLANE: Well, joining me now from Nairobi is Frantz Celestin, Regional Director for the -- for East, Horn and Southern Africa for the International Organization for Migration. Thank you so much for your time. So, Frantz, we heard there that the UN and the IOM are currently supporting migrants who survived this deadly shipwreck. Can you tell us a bit more about the condition of these survivors right now, and any more details of what happened to this migrant ship?

FRANTZ CELESTIN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EAST, HORN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA, IOM: Yes, the shipwreck happened a few days ago in a boat that was carrying 305 persons, and it was not designed to carry such a load. As you correctly pointed out, 139 of them sadly perished. 84 are still missing, and we are currently providing support to 82 of them. IOM is housing about 62 of them in our Migrant Resource Center in Obock. We're working with all the U.N. agencies, including WFP, to provide food for them.

But what we notice from discussing and having interviewed a number of them, is a shock to their system and what -- what they've experienced during the journey and after the ship wreck. We're currently providing counseling to them. A lot of them are experiencing pneumonia, and so our medical team are providing the medical care that they need to support them. MACFARLANE: You mentioned there, and we were reporting yesterday that 84 migrants are still missing from the capsized vessel, and we'd heard reports that some were actually buried by fellow migrants with no names, no graves. How much of a tragedy is that? You know that migrants are going missing, and there's no way of tracking them down. Is there anything that could be done about sort of figuring out the fate and whereabouts of these missing migrants?

CELESTIN: Unfortunately, it's quite difficult to track them, and when the current are taking them away, and unfortunately, given the number of days that access the ship wreck, we don't expect to see many survivors of the 84 that are still missing. IOM is working with all the U.N. agencies, including UNHCR and the Djiboutian Coast Guard, to -- on rescue efforts. But at this point, unfortunately, we are also focusing on recovery effort to -- to find and provide dignified burials to those who perished.

As you correctly pointed out, in fact, of those we the 139, a vast majority of them were actually buried in mass graves simply because they had to be buried quickly and -- and there was no way of effectively identifying them. But for those who survive, IOM is currently working with the Ethiopian embassy there to -- to send them back home. In fact, the vast majority of them have selected to voluntarily go back to Ethiopia to be reunited with their family. So, we're currently doing family tracing and working with the embassy to send them back home.

MACFARLANE: And -- and -- and just briefly, I mean, so you say you're working with the Ethiopian government there, with the Djibouti government, to do what you can for the survivors of this disaster. But we know that conflicts are raging in Ethiopia and certainly in Yemen right now, as that crisis continues to spiral, which means this migrant crisis is only set to get worse on either side of the Bab al- Mandab Strait. What actions are you calling for from governments to prevent another migrant boat disaster like this from happening again?

CELESTIN: That's correct, Christina. We expect this to get worse. So far, we've actually tracked 130,000 migrants landing in Yemen, despite the conflict, the regional conflict on that side of the Bab al-Mandab.

[04:35:00]

And we expect a lot more to cross because of the conditions in their communities in their home countries. So, we're asking all parties to the conflict on both sides, on all sides, to protect civilian lives, to make sure that the civilians are not -- because they're not party to the war, they should not be targets. But there is more than civil conflict or war that is pushing those young men and women out of their communities.

There is lack of economic opportunities. There's climate change and a whole host of things, political tension that is forcing them to leave. So, we have to address the aspiration where they are in their communities to reduce the likelihood of them migrating, taking the perilous journey through the desert and on the high seas to find these so-called green air pasture that may not exist, but they are risking their lives every single day.

We are seeing them in the desert. We have rescue team running rescue vehicles day and night to try to find them in the desert to rescue them because far too often they are traveling without food and water, and sometimes, unfortunately, they perish during the journey.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, I mean, it is always, of course, the civilians who feel the brunt of this conflict, this fighting on both sides here. Frantz, we really appreciate you coming on and telling us about your efforts to try and help this disaster. Thank you very much there, live from Nairobi.

CELESTIN: Thank you for having me, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Now Hurricane Simon is slowly moving north west, just offshore of Mexico's Pacific coast. The storm has weakened to a Category Two hurricane, and forecasters say it may make landfall on Thursday. Though it's tricky to predict exactly when and where, Hurricane Simon damaged buildings and caused flooding in parts of Colima State. Forecasters say strong winds and rain will continue as the storm travels up the coast in the coming days. CNN's Valeria Leon has the details.

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VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hurricane Simon is battering Mexico's Pacific coast, leaving a trail of destruction across coastal towns and popular tourist destinations. Huge waves crashing into beachfront businesses, flooding restaurants and shops, with water rushing into nearby streets in the state of Jalisco, flood waters rose to more than two and a half feet in some areas, leaving entire streets under water.

Military personnel have been deployed to communities along Mexico's Pacific coast, helping residents clear water from their homes. In some neighborhoods, families are using buckets to remove the water while piling up sandbags to keep more from coming in.

MARIA ELENE VAZQUEZ, RESIDENT (through translator): Everything got flooded from here to there. Everything, my closet, everything.

LEON: In Manzanillo, in the state of Colima, residents woke up early Sunday morning to find water pouring into their homes.

CECILIA PALOMAR, RESIDENT (through translator): At dawn, around 3 a.m. the water started to rise. It had risen before, but not like this.

LEON: Mexico's government has activated its emergency response plan, deploying about 3,000 personnel to help communities affected by the storm.

ROCIO LOPEZ, WAITRESS (through translator): We're a bit worried, and here we are guarding our businesses, which is our source of work and that of many other families.

LEON: Meanwhile, in the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta, workers are being co-leading to help evacuate visitors from the coastal area. Local authorities have announced plans to transport tourists farther inland to Guadalajara, the state capital. Simon's impact has also been felt farther south in Acapulco, one of Mexico's best-known Pacific beach destinations. Authorities there report one dead and two people injured. Simon is just the latest in a series of powerful storms to hit Mexico.

Just two weeks ago, Hurricane Polo struck Baja California Sur and Sonora, bringing flooding and strong winds. With communities still recovering from previous storms, Simon is bringing yet another wave of destruction. Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

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MACFARLANE: Still to come. No planes, no trains, no automobiles. I'll speak with the man who has spent the last 28 years walking around the world.

[04:40:00]

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MACFARLANE: Now, in just a few weeks, British adventurer Karl Bushby is expected to return home for the first time in nearly 30 years. Since November of 1998, he's been attempting the first ever continuous circumnavigation of the globe on foot. Bushby gave -- says he gave himself only two rules: he wouldn't use any form of transportation, and he wouldn't go home until he arrived on foot. Well, the most recent leg of his journey included successfully swimming the English Channel, as you can see here, and setting foot on U.K. soil for the first time since the 1990s.

Bushby has visited 29 countries throughout his journey, and he's traveled to more -- more than 50,000 kilometers. That's more than 31,000 miles, but the trip isn't over until he reaches his mother's home in Hull, hopefully in the near future. And Karl Bushby is joining me now with more on his incredible journey. Karl, so good to see you.

We were just seeing images there of you stepping back on British soil for the first time in 28 years. Can you just describe that moment of seeing your friends and family after completing a swim across the English Channel?

KARL BUSHBY, BRITISH JOURNEYER: Yeah. Good morning. Yeah. Quite a day. 28 years in the making. So, it was really, really quite something to be met by my father and friends on the beach, brothers, guys that I left 28 years ago in Bryce Norton when I -- when I flew out to the start point in South America.

MACFARLANE: I mean, I understand you completed that channel swim with almost no training. And that, of course, was your -- your final major hurdle. How difficult was all of that you know, after all this time?

[04:45:00]

BUSHBY: Yeah, it wasn't easy. We had to hit the ground running pretty quick. Having arrived -- arrived on the coast of France, we didn't have a lot of time, so there was no preparation at all, so yeah, make sure the wetsuit fit and then get at it. Luckily enough, we had the experience from the Caspian Sea. You know, a year or two ago, we -- was it 2024.

It's from the Caspian, and that was like a 300-kilometer swim over 30 days. So, we had a good idea what we needed.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

BUSHBY: So the equipment and stuff could be quickly -- quickly brought to the location where I literally put it on and got in the water, and it was like a 20-hour over two days, so it was just yeah, totally doable.

MACFARLANE: I mean, for some maybe, not for me. So, look, you must have racked up a lot of experience on this trip. As we were saying, there your expedition crossed, I think, 29 countries that included the Darien Gap, the Bering Strait. You mentioned the Caspian Sea there. Look, I'm sure there are too many memorable and difficult moments to recount here. But could you pick maybe one or two for us that really stand out in your memory.

BUSHBY: The big ones are those gaps. I think those victories, like the Darien Gap, was probably one of the toughest things I've done. And then, of course, the Bering Strait, which no one had ever managed to walk from the Americas to Asia, so pulling that off was a bit of a magic trick, by no means easy.

And then there's all the stuff in between. I mean, the distances. I mean, getting across Alaska to the -- the Bering Strait was absolutely epic. There's a couple of oh my God, I'm going to die moments there. And there's yeah, there's a lot in between these gaps. And of course, finally getting to England, that was a bit of a struggle. We had to overcome some bureaucracy there because there was a lot of rules and regs in place that was stopping us from making that swim, and we had to do a lot of negotiation. And everyone got on board. We -- we pulled it off.

MACFARLANE: And you mentioned those difficulties. I also wonder how things were for you during, you know, the Coronavirus and during the crisis where the world shut down. Were you still able to travel?

BUSHBY: We've had a number of crises. No, during COVID -- things like there was the financial crisis 2008. There was COVID. There's been visa bans, and altogether those things have cost me about nine years. And a lot of the time, like COVID, you -- you just can't move. You're just in wait mode. We couldn't get back into Central Asia for you know a few years there, because then there was the Omicron and the Delta version, and that closed a lot of these countries.

So, every time we thought we were going to get back in, something would come along, and we'd have to sit it out again. But the yeah, most of this, I would say, half of this journey has literally been just trying to work around those problems.

MACFARLANE: I mean, it is incredible, Karl. I'm looking as we're speaking to you here of pictures of you as a young man, really, when you started out on this journey, and I know that you'll be returning home to see your mother in England very soon for the first time in, I think, 10 years since 2016. So, look, we -- we wish you the very best with that reunion, and it really has been an incredible journey. I'm sure you're looking forward to that moment.

BUSHBY: Yeah, that's going to be another very special day. We've racked up a couple on this one.

MACFARLANE: All right, Karl Bushby, an incredible feat. Congratulations, and enjoy a lie down after all of this, will you? It's been quite the journey. Thank you very much.

BUSHBY: Thank you, thank you. You have a good day.

MACFARLANE: All right. Still to come. The years-long war with Russia is driving one Ukrainian football club to find a temporary new home. We go inside Stamford Bridge to learn what brought them to the home of Chelsea.

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[04:50:00]

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back. As Russia and Ukraine exchange fire in a war that seems only to escalate, a beloved Ukrainian football team is finding a temporary new home in London. I went to Stamford Bridge to find out more.

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MACFARLANE: This team haven't been able to play at home since 2014. After being forced to flee their stadium following the annexation of Crimea, the players have crossed the border hundreds of times to compete in one of football's most prestigious tournaments.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): How many hours have we been driving?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm not counting. I stopped counting after five hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Five, yeah. We haven't even crossed the border into Poland yet.

MACFARLANE: Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk are used to going the extra mile to play their football.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally, we come to London.

SERHII PALKIN, FC SHAKHTAR DONETSK, CEO: Travel issue is the biggest problem what we have because sometimes to reach our final destination to play -- to play Champions League games, we can spend even two-three days. MACFARLANE: This season, Shakhtar Donetsk have traded their destroyed Donbass Arena for a stadium at one of the most famous clubs in the Premier League. After failing to qualify for the Champions League this season, Chelsea's owners came to an agreement for the Ukrainian club to host its four home matches at the bridge, which would include a clash against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham when they faced Real Madrid in January.

PALKIN: For us, London is football capitol of the whole world, and Stamford Bridge, its great legendary stadium, and for us it's very important to be here, and for our players it will be additional motivation to show attracting beautiful football like in our DNA.

MACFARLANE: Well, and there's a big Ukrainian diaspora here in London. I think there's something like 32,000 Ukrainians in London. Is this a chance as well for you to connect with them?

[04:55:00]

PALKIN: For us, it's very important to give them this breath of air, you know, that Ukraine come here.

MACFARLANE: Although the fans will be able to support the team in a home stadium, they won't be able to buy a home shirt. So, tell me why it's the away kit and not the home kit right now.

PALKIN: Because one month ago, we got a call from Puma, Puma Ukraine, and they saying us, can you please take some part of your T-shirts and away from our warehouse because we have chance that it will demolish. And can you imagine in two days, this warehouse was completely demolished by Russia, and Puma lost everything.

MACFARLANE: The opportunity is driving business too. Club Sponsor DTEK is Ukraine's biggest private energy firm. Its CEO, Maxim Timchenko believes now is the time to invest in Ukraine.

MAXIM TIMCHENKO, CEO, DTEK: It's very symbolic for us to be to -- to have our appearance, appearance of company brand for the first game here in such a legendary stadium to deliver our message to hundreds of millions of people in the world that Ukraine is not only the country where we're fighting, where we're surviving, but the country where we invest in the future.

MACFARLANE: A season spent at Stamford Bridge will be a memorable chapter in the history of this Donetsk club, but the goal is always to return home.

PALKIN: Even now, from time to time, I switch on TV and switch on video and watching how our fans supported us in Donbass Arena. It was amazing. You cannot compare emotionally with anything you know you have, because home is home.

MACFARLANE: You believe you will return?

PALKIN: It's our dream.

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MACFARLANE: And our thanks to Shakhtar Donetsk for speaking to us. That is it for the show. I'm Christina Macfarlane. Stay with us. CNN Headline Express is up next.

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