Up to 137 people, mostly Somalis, were forced overboard from a smuggler’s boat into deep waters off the Yemeni coast and many are feared dead, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
Around 33 bodies have been found and another 30 people, including children, are feared dead.
Dozens of people managed to reach the shore alive.
According to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Aden, Yemen, smugglers on the boat sailing from Somalia forced all its passengers — three of them Ethiopians — into deep waters off the Yemeni coast, before turning around and heading back to Somalia.
The bodies of the dead were found near Al Hodeiya, 10 kilometres east of Bir Ali on the southern Yemeni coast.
“The latest tragic incident once again highlights the urgent need for joint international and local efforts to address this problem and minimise the flow of desperate people who fall victim to ruthless smugglers,” the UNHCR said.
Thousands of Somalis, many fleeing violence in their homeland, arrive in Yemen every year, mostly between September and March, when sailing conditions are at their best.
On average an estimated 100 people arrive each day between September and March when sailing conditions are good.
The smuggling networks, which target migrants as well as asylum seekers, are well organised with some people coming from as far away as Sri Lanka.
Between January 12 and 17, 22 boats carrying an unknown number of Somalis and Ethiopians arrived in Yemen.
Of those, UNHCR registered 1,217 Somalis and 39 Ethiopians.
On January 16, a boat carrying 65 people and six dead bodies arrived in Yemen.
Another 14 people reportedly died during the voyage, the UNHCR said.
“Smugglers torture, rape and shoot their passengers if they complain. It’s very dangerous,” said UNHCR’s Peter Kessler, speaking to the BBC’s Focus on Africa program.
“It is a sign of the fragility of the situation in Somalia… and more and more Ethiopians are also opting to escape on this route,” he said.
“It’s clear that the political insecurity, especially after the election in Ethiopia, are driving more people from that country to seek asylum.”
UN staff in Aden say they are taking care of the survivors, giving them medical help and food.
