Thirty-four people drowned when a boat travelling from northern Somalia to Yemen sank in heavy seas in the latest blow for Somali coastal communities already hit by the Asian tsunami, an official said on Saturday.
A government spokesman said the the boat was travelling from Bossasso in northern Somalia to Mekelle in southern Yemen carrying 37 people and cargo when it sank off the Somali coast.
Relief agencies were rushing aid to communities in northeastern Somalia devastated by the Asian tsunami. The Somali government believed the death toll had risen to 142.
Reports from the few aid workers on the ground in the worst-hit Puntland region say 114 were killed when the waves struck. Most of them were fishermen who had not come home since they set sail on December 26.
Up to 50,000 in northeast Somalia are in need of emergency aid after the tsunami damaged or destroyed their homes. German naval vessels attached to a U.S-led task force based in Djibouti have been visiting affected Somali coastal villages since Thursday to provide emergency relief.