Thirty Somalis dead or missed in latest Gulf of Aden tragedy

Eight people drowned and another 22 are missing and presumed dead in the Gulf of Aden as a result of two different smuggling incidents over the weekend off the coast of Yemen’s Hadramout province, some 600 km east of Aden, the UNHCR reported.

According to a press release issued by the UNHCR office in Yemen the first boat, reportedly carrying 40 Somalis, capsized Saturday evening as passengers started disembarking off the Yemen coast, some 80km east of Mayfa’a, where UNHCR operates a reception centre. Twenty people made it to shore near Rass al Kalb, where one of UNHCR’s partners, the Society for Human Solidarity (SHS), provided them with water and food before transporting them to Mayfa’a for further assistance and registration. No bodies were recovered and the status of those missing remains unknown. Survivors said the smuggler’s boat had departed from Marera, east of the Somali town of Bossasso.

A second tragedy occurred late Sunday afternoon off the coast of Rujeema, 120 km east of Mayfa’a. Survivors said eight people died and two were missing and presumed dead after their boat carrying 23passengers hit rough seas and the vessel began taking on water. Witnesses said some of the deaths were due to suffocation after the smugglers covered the passenger area with a tarpaulin to prevent water from getting in. Thirteen people made it to shore near Rujeema. They were given first aid by SHS and then transferred to Mayfa’a  reception centre. Survivors said the vessel had departed from the Somali town of Elayo, west of Bossasso.

The UNHCR  pointed out that so far this year, a total of 339 boats and 17,035 people have arrived in Yemen after making the perilous voyage across the Gulf of Aden from the Horn of Africa. To date, 74 people have reportedly died and 51 are missing at sea. Those who make the crossing are fleeing desperate situations of civil war, political instability, poverty and famine in Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

Since the beginning of 2009 fifteen people have drowned and 12 others are missing and feared dead after two smugglers' boats carrying at least 270 Somalis and Ethiopians from the Horn of Africa capsized mid January 2009. At the beginning of March 2009 49 African refugees were reported dead or feared missed when their smuggling vessel capsized in the Indian Ocean 200 miles off Mucala  port.

In mid March seven people drowned and five others fear missed  in the Gulf of Aden after a boat carrying 104 Somalis and Ethiopians capsized whilst docking at Steamer Point at the port of Aden.

Final statistics for 2008 show that more than 50,000 people made the perilous voyage in smugglers’ boats across the Gulf of Aden last year, and that at least 590 drowned. Another 359 were reported missing. Most of the deaths were due to drowning after passengers were forced overboard in treacherous waters far off the Yemen coast in a bid by the smugglers to avoid detection by Yemeni authorities.

In 2007 more than 113,000 people, mostly Somalis, made the perilous voyage to Yemen. Since the outbreak of civil war in Somalia, Yemen has become a magnet for refugees fleeing violence and drought in their own country and as a gateway to the oil-rich countries of the Arabian Peninsula and on to Europe.   Latest figures suggest the number of Somali refugees in Yemen stands at around 825,000 people.

Related Content

•  Tribesmen abduct SJC head's brother
•  7 people arrested for possession of weapons
•  Al Qaeda member arrested
•  70 Ethiopians arrested in Yemen
•  Five killed, three wounded in floods
•  Eritrean pirates hijack 4 Yemeni fishing boats
•  Eritrean pirates capture 6 Yemeni fishing boats
•  Diesel smuggler seized in Hadramout
•  Documentaries enhance youths’ voice
•  Two and half tons of corrupt goods spoiled, municipality director of Addalea