Hundreds dead or missing in Gulf of Aden: UN refugee agency

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2007

GENEVA (AFP) — More than 400 people are dead or missing since September after trying to make the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia to Yemen, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.

"The rate of smuggling boats reaching the shores of Yemen after crossing the Gulf of Aden appears to have increased during the first half of October along with the appalling death toll," UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis told journalists.

Some 9,600 immigrants who fled East Africa have been recorded arriving in Yemen since September, the UNHCR said.

One hundred and thirty seven people were confirmed dead and 275 missing over the same period, it added.

The arrivals, who paid between 50 and 150 dollars (35 to 95 euros) for...