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| Posted to the web on September 30, 2008 |
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September 30, 2008 — At least 52 Somali nationals have died in the Gulf of Aden as they tried to make their way to Yemen, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Sunday.
Engine failure on the errant boat in which they were travelling left the passengers without food or water for 18 days. Seventy-one survived after being saved by Yemen coastguards.
Survivors said the boat left September 3 with at least 124 people on board, but the engine broke down a few hours after leaving Somalia. Forty-eight died onboard, while four others died later in hospital.
The surviving passengers, aged between two and 40 years old, have been taken into care by U.N. aid workers in Mayfa'a (Yemen).
Desperate to flee war-ravaged Somalia, each of the would-be immigrants paid smugglers between $70-200 for the journey to Yemen.
Many Somalis choose this time of year to seek refuge in a neighboring Muslim country. Somalia's storm season finishes at the end of August while other countries reduce the level of border security personnel during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the UNHCR says.
The U.N. agency estimates more than 250 people have died and around 225 have gone missing in the Gulf of Aden since the start of the year.
It also says more than 20,000 Somalis and around 9,800 Ethopians have successfully crossed the Gulf of Aden in 2008.
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