Yemen asks for help to find missing passengers

Helicopters needed to help find islanders who were travelling to mainland on ship

ADEN // At least 20 people were missing off the Yemeni island of Socotra yesterday after a cargo vessel carrying islanders home from the mainland sank in the Arabian Sea.

Forty-two people were rescued as of last night, officials said.

Yemeni fisheries minister Fahd Kavleen and Salem Dahaq, the head of Hadibo, the capital of Socotra province, appealed to the Saudi-led Arab coalition to send helicopters to help with the boat search.

The coalition, which is fighting to restore the Yemeni government to full power, maintains a naval presence in the area.

“There is significant hope that passengers have survived,” said Mr Kavleen. “But the coming hours are dangerous and we are in dire need of the helicopters to participate in the rescue.”

The ship left the port of Mukalla five days ago with 64 people, including children, and 25 lifeboats on board, but went missing five days ago, said Mr Kavleen.

On Tuesday came reports that it was sinking about 50 kilometres west of Qalansia Island. The government website sabanew.com said the first two survivors were rescued by a passing Austrian vessel and an Australian ship.

Socotra lies closer to the coast of Africa than the Arabian Peninsula.

The conflict that has ravaged the Yemeni mainland for the past two years has disrupted transport links to the archipelago. Mukalla was controlled by Al Qaeda for a full year until April.

Air links to Socotra from elsewhere in Yemen have been reduced to very few as the government battles rebels who still control the capital.

There are no regular passenger ferries either, forcing islanders to seek berths on the occasional cargo vessel.

Throughout the devastating conflict that has pitted forces loyal to president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi against the Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies, Socotra has remained loyal to the president’s internationally recognised government and has been spared the fighting.