(SomaliNet) Eight people drowned after being thrown overboard by smugglers, while 10 died from asphyxia and dehydration on two crowded boats carrying 80 Ethiopians and 70 Somalis on April 20, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) said. These died in smuggled boats crossing the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, taking the death toll so far this year to more than 200, the United Nations said on Tuesday. More than 5 600 people have landed on the Yemeni coast so far this year, while 26 000 people made the voyage last year when at least 330 lives were lost and another 300 people were reported missing and believed dead.The UNHCR has warned that smugglers often act ruthlessly, particularly if they spot coastguard boats or if they fear that their vessels are overloaded.
Survivors of last week's voyage said they paid $100 (about R750) for the crossing. SomaliaÂ’s capital of Mogadishu is embroiled in its worst violence for 16 years, with US-backed Ethiopian and Somali forces battling Islamists and disgruntled Hawiye clan fighters.