20 PEOPLE DROWNED

YEMEN COAST GUARDS


At least 20 African migrants have drowned after smugglers forced them to jump overboard while crossing the Gulf of Aden.
Two others are feared dead, the United Nations refugee agency said.
"At least 20 people drowned off the coast of Yemen yesterday and two were reported missing after smugglers carrying them across the Gulf of Aden from the Horn of Africa forced them to jump overboard in deep water," Ron Redmond, spokesman of the UNHCR said.
Around 115 people were forced to jump overboard into shark-infested waters during the journey.
The remaining 93 passengers made it to the shore in Yemen and were transferred to a reception centre, Mr Redmond said.
The survivors, many of whom are Ethiopians, are reported to be "sick and exhausted from the trauma of the voyage".
Another boat carrying 55 passengers also arrived on the same day, with no casualties reported.
At least 380 people have been killed and 360 others are feared dead this year alone after making the journey in smuggling boats across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen.
Most of the 43,500 migrants who have travelled this year are Somalis fleeing violence and chaos in their country.
Yemen is seen as a gateway to economic opportunities in the Middle East.