By Sam Cage
ZURICH (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed and 140 missing after two boats packed with people fleeing Somalia capsized off the coast of Yemen, the U.N. refugee agency said on Thursday.
The incident occurred after Yemeni security forces opened fire on smugglers trying to bring more than 500 people into the country across the Gulf of Aden to a remote stretch of Yemen's coastline.
Four boats were involved in the smuggling operation, the UNHCR said.
Two boats had offloaded their passengers and were then fired on by Yemeni security forces. The smugglers returned fire and two other boats tried to escape back to sea.
One boat capsized after being unbalanced by agitated passengers, trapping several people under it.
The other, pursued by two Yemeni coastguard boats and a helicopter, was forced to head back to shore but capsized in heavy seas some 300 metres from the beach.
Seventeen people were killed, and 357 survivors have been found and taken to a UNHCR reception centre.
All 17 smugglers have been captured, UNHCR said.
"The rescue operation is ongoing. There are 140 people still missing. Some of them may have made it to shore, and may be looking for assistance, and others of them may have drowned," UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis said by telephone.
"I am deeply saddened by this latest tragedy involving smugglers' boats carrying desperate people across the Gulf of Aden," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
"We urgently need a concerted international effort aimed at addressing root causes, educating would-be migrants and cracking down on the smugglers and traffickers based in Somalia," Guterres said.
Many of the survivors said they were fleeing the conflict between the Ethiopian-backed Somali government and rival Islamists. After a week of fighting, Ethiopian and government troops have reached the Islamist stronghold of Mogadishu.
UNHCR fears the current upsurge in fighting could create a new wave of refugees and it is asking neighbouring countries to be prepared to accept those fleeing.
More than 25,800 people have been recorded arriving in Yemen from Somalia this year and at least 330 people on the crossing, according to UNHCR.
The boats from Somalia usually land along a remote, 300-km stretch of tribal-ruled coastline. UNHCR has only limited access to much of the insecure coast.
(Additional reporting by Laura MacInnis in Geneva)
Source: Reuters, Dec 28, 2006