The U.N. refugee agency says the death toll has risen to 91 from two boats that capsized off the coast of Yemen while crossing from the Horn of Africa.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says another 114 people are still missing from the two vessels. They were illegally carrying a total of 256 Somalis and Ethiopians across the Gulf of Aden a few days ago.
It says a total of 51 people survived the voyages, noting that rescue operations continue along the Yemeni coast.
The U.N. agency says a new wave of human smuggling vessels has been trying to cross the Gulf of Aden after a two-week lull stemming from bad weather. Thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians try to reach Yemen each year to escape poverty in their home countries.
