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Sana'a: At least 18 Somalis have drowned off the coast of Yemen while trying to cross from Somalia to the Arabian Peninsula country, Yemeni officials said on Sunday.
The crew of the vessel carrying about 120 migrants forced them to jump into the sea off Yemen's coastline to swim ashore, the officials said.
"Yemen coastguard boats rescued some of the refugees and the rest swam to the shore while 18 drowned," one official said, adding that 102 survivors were sent to refugee camps.
Earlier this month another 53 Somali migrants drowned in a similar incident.
Many African migrants try to reach Yemen, which they see as a gateway to wealthier parts of the Middle East, and the West.
The influx of Africans to Yemen rose by some 400 per cent during the first two months of this year compared to the same figure in 2007 when 2,946 migrants arrived in Yemen, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
A total of 8,713 African migrants arrived in Yemen on smugglers' boats during January and February, according to the UN agency.
At least 113 migrants died and 214 went missing this year on the high seas while on their way to greener pastures, the agency said.
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