At least 35 of the 64 people who were on a ferry that sank off Yemen have been rescued, an Yemeni minister said on Wednesday. However, rescue teams continued to look for survivors, Reuters reports
The boat sank 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Socotra, an archipelago some 380 km south of mainland Yemen.
According to Fisheries Minister Fahad Kaffen’s posts on social media, the ferry that was en route from Hadramout province in mainland Yemen to the island of Socotra. Both Socotra and Hadramout are under the control of the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is in a war with the Houthis who control most of northern Yemen.
Furthermore, local media said that the ship was believed to have suffered an accident and authorities at Hadramout’s Mukalla port lost contact with it on December 6 evening.
The government has appealed for help from its allies in the Saudi-led military coalition, which has a naval presence in the area.