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| More than 30 refugees killed in helicopter attack on boat in Yemen while trying to flee civil war | More than 30 refugees killed in helicopter attack on boat in Yemen while trying to flee civil war |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| More than 30 Somali refugees have been killed in an attack on a boat off the coast of Yemen while attempting to flee the country's brutal civil war. | More than 30 Somali refugees have been killed in an attack on a boat off the coast of Yemen while attempting to flee the country's brutal civil war. |
| Coastguard authorities in the Houthi rebel stronghold of Hodeidah said a helicopter gunship attacked the vessel they were travelling on in the Red Sea. | Coastguard authorities in the Houthi rebel stronghold of Hodeidah said a helicopter gunship attacked the vessel they were travelling on in the Red Sea. |
| A Yemeni people smuggler who survived the attack said the boat had set sail overnight, aiming to cross the Red Sea to Sudan. | |
| Al-Hassan Ghaleb Mohammed said women and children were among his passengers from the port of Arra, along the southern coastline in Yemen's Hodeida province. | |
| He told The Associated Press their boat had travelled around 30 miles from shore when the helicopter gunship approached and opened fire, sparking panic on board. | |
| They finally managed to hold up torches to show they were civilian migrants, when he said the helicopter stopped firing. | |
| Photos that were too graphic to publish showed the bodies of women and men in civilian clothes lying on top of one another in the partially destroyed boat, their belongings splattered with blood. Children were reported to be among the dead. | Photos that were too graphic to publish showed the bodies of women and men in civilian clothes lying on top of one another in the partially destroyed boat, their belongings splattered with blood. Children were reported to be among the dead. |
| Mohamed al-Alay told Reuters the refugees, carrying official UNHCR documents, were on their way from Yemen to Sudan when they were attacked by an Apache helicopter near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. | Mohamed al-Alay told Reuters the refugees, carrying official UNHCR documents, were on their way from Yemen to Sudan when they were attacked by an Apache helicopter near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. |
| The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it was “deeply distressed” by the casualties and called for all parties in the Yemeni civil war to protect civilians in accordance with international law. | The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it was “deeply distressed” by the casualties and called for all parties in the Yemeni civil war to protect civilians in accordance with international law. |
| “UNHCR is appalled by this tragic incident, the latest in which civilians continue to disproportionately bear the brunt of conflict in Yemen,” a spokesperson said. | “UNHCR is appalled by this tragic incident, the latest in which civilians continue to disproportionately bear the brunt of conflict in Yemen,” a spokesperson said. |
| “UNHCR has been following up to provide urgent assistance and support to the survivors and to the families of those deceased.” | “UNHCR has been following up to provide urgent assistance and support to the survivors and to the families of those deceased.” |
| The agency warned that conditions in Yemen were continuing to deteriorate, forcing asylum seekers to leave the country and move north. | The agency warned that conditions in Yemen were continuing to deteriorate, forcing asylum seekers to leave the country and move north. |
| A sailor who had been operating the boat, Ibrahim Ali Zeyad, said 80 refugees had been rescued after the incident. | A sailor who had been operating the boat, Ibrahim Ali Zeyad, said 80 refugees had been rescued after the incident. |
| The boat was passing through waters between Yemen and Eritrea and Djibouti, which sits on Somalia's northern border. | The boat was passing through waters between Yemen and Eritrea and Djibouti, which sits on Somalia's northern border. |
| It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, although Saudi forces are known to deploy Apache helicopters as part of their air campaign in support of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. | It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, although Saudi forces are known to deploy Apache helicopters as part of their air campaign in support of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. |
| The coastal province of Hodeidah has come under heavy bombardment in recent years as a stronghold of Houthi rebels, who are fighting the internationally-recognised government alongside forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. | The coastal province of Hodeidah has come under heavy bombardment in recent years as a stronghold of Houthi rebels, who are fighting the internationally-recognised government alongside forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. |
| Yemen's civil war, which is about to enter its third year of bloodshed, has allowed terrorist groups including Isis and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to seize territory and carry out attacks. | Yemen's civil war, which is about to enter its third year of bloodshed, has allowed terrorist groups including Isis and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to seize territory and carry out attacks. |
| Despite violence that has left more than 10,000 people dead and 17 million facing starvation, African migrants seeking work in Saudi Arabia have continued using Yemen as a transit point. | Despite violence that has left more than 10,000 people dead and 17 million facing starvation, African migrants seeking work in Saudi Arabia have continued using Yemen as a transit point. |
| An estimated 500,000 Somalis were living in Yemen in 2015, with 230 registered refugees fleeing their home country’s conflict. | An estimated 500,000 Somalis were living in Yemen in 2015, with 230 registered refugees fleeing their home country’s conflict. |
| Oxfam warned that with the conflict worsening, Somalis were being displaced for a second time, joining thousands of people attempting to flee on boats to the Horn of Africa. | Oxfam warned that with the conflict worsening, Somalis were being displaced for a second time, joining thousands of people attempting to flee on boats to the Horn of Africa. |
| Almost 1 million Somalis are displaced in surrounding countries and 1.1 million inside the country itself according to the UN, which said the three-decade-long refugee crisis is “among the most protracted in the world”. | Almost 1 million Somalis are displaced in surrounding countries and 1.1 million inside the country itself according to the UN, which said the three-decade-long refugee crisis is “among the most protracted in the world”. |
| Additional reporting by agencies | Additional reporting by agencies |