100 Somalis feared dead off Yemen coast: UNHCR

About 100 migrants believed to be mainly Somalis are missing and feared dead after being forced overboard by smugglers off the coast of Yemen, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.

Survivors of the latest tragic crossing reported that a smuggling boat carrying about 150 passengers had left the Somali port of Marera near Bossaso on Monday and spent three days crossing the Gulf of Aden, it said.

Most passengers were forced overboard about 5 kms from the Yemeni shore, and many are feared to have drowned, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.