WEB DESK
At least 30 African refugees and migrants drowned off the coast of Yemen this week in a boat operated by smugglers who are reported to have fired on passengers.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement in Geneva that at least 152 Somalis and Ethiopians were aboard the overcrowded vessel which left Aden in southern Yemen on Tuesday.
It said the vessel is believed to have been operated by unscrupulous smugglers who were attempting to take refugees and migrants to Djibouti, while also trying to extort more money from these refugees and migrants. The boat turned back and “capsized amid reports of gunfire being used against the passengers,IOM said.