New York: Up to 66 African migrants were drowned by brutal human smugglers during the perilous sea journey from Somalia to Yemen, adding to a mounting annual death toll that is already in the hundreds, the UN has said.

Sixty-six people drowned Sunday in the Gulf of Aden after being forced overboard by smugglers off the coast of Yemen, said UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond, quoting survivors.

The tragedy involved two smugglers boats that left the Somali coastal town of Bossaso on Saturday with 244 people aboard, mostly Somalis and Ethiopians.

The two vessels reached the Yemen coast off Hawrat Al Shatee on Sunday, survivors said. Passengers were forced into deep water and many drowned.

A total of 28 bodies were buried on the beach, while 38 (29 Ethiopians and nine Somalis) remain missing, according to UNHCR.

"So far this year, more than 20,000 people have made the perilous voyage across the Gulf of Aden in boats operated by ruthless smugglers operating from Somali ports," Redmond said. At least 439 people have died this year and another 489 are missing and feared dead.

Survivors of the weekend tragedy said the crew of one of the crowded boats had harshly beaten passengers during the voyage, injuring several of them. After being forced into deep water off the Yemeni coast, a total of 178 people managed to make it to shore, the agency reported.

Source : PTI