Somali refugees killed near Bab al-Mandeb Strait

Dozens of Somali refugees have been killed off the coast of Hodeidah in  Yemen after a helicopter attacked the boat they were travelling in, according to the International Organization for Migration.


Joel Millman, spokesman for the Geneva-based agency, told the AFP news agency that 42 bodies had been "recovered", after earlier reports on Friday had put the fatalities at more than 30.

Mohamed al-Alay, a local coastguard officer in the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah area, told the Reuters news agency that the refugees were on their way from Yemen to Sudan when they were attacked late on Thursday by an Apache helicopter near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The refugees were reportedly carrying official UN refugee agency (UNHCR)  documents.

A sailor who had been operating the boat, Ibrahim Ali Zeyad, said 80 refugees were rescued after the incident.

It was not immediately clear who had carried out the attack.
 [aljazeera.com]
17/3/17