Forty-nine Somalis drowned when their boat capsized off the coast of Shabwa province in southeast Yemen, Yemen's interior ministry said yesterday.
One Somali managed to swim ashore and raise the alarm after the boat capsized because of strong winds, the ministry said in a statement on its website.
A police boat went to the area, near the town of Bir Ali, and authorities are searching for survivors, the statement said. It did not say how many survivors had been found.
More than 40 African migrants trying to reach Yemen by boat drowned off its coast in January and a second boat with up to 40 Ethiopians aboard went missing.
Mass drownings have been frequent as many African migrants in unseaworthy boats try to reach Yemen, which they see as a gateway to wealthier parts of the Middle East and the West.
More than 74,000 Africans migrated to Yemen in 2009, a 50 per cent increase over 2008 despite instability in the country, according to figures issued by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
Reuters