UNHCR says 65 illegal migrants died, missing off Yemen

ADEN, Sep. 15 (Saba) - At
least 65 African illegal migrants, believed to be Somalis, drowned and went missing
as three
passenger smuggling boats sank off Yemen over the last two days, the UNHCR in the
country has said.

Spokeswoman for the UNHCR Melissa Filming confirmed 16 died and
other
49 went missing or were killed while trying to enter Yemen through the dangerous sea
route between Yemen and Somalia. Dozens of African people, fleeing poverty and
conflicts
in their countries in the Horn of Africa, reach Yemen almost daily. Most of the
migrants are Somalis and Ethiopians. So far this year, statistics suggested that
43586 migrants
entered Yemen. And according to the UNHCR, 273 drowned and went missing when
overcrowded smuggling boats went down or when boat owners forced passengers to swim
in deep waters
until Yemen coast. FR