YEMEN:At least 17 people were killed and 140 were missing after two boats packed with people fleeing Somalia capsized off the coast of Yemen, the UN refugee agency said yesterday.
The incident occurred late on Wednesday after Yemeni security forces opened fire on smugglers trying to bring more than 500 people into the country.
"I am deeply saddened by this latest tragedy involving smugglers' boats carrying desperate people across the Gulf of Aden," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said.
"We urgently need a concerted international effort aimed at addressing root causes, educating would-be migrants and cracking down on the smugglers and traffickers based in Somalia," Mr Guterres said.