Boat Carrying Somali Refugees Capsizes in Gulf of Aden, 1 Person Survives

A boat carrying Somali refugees capsized in the Gulf of Aden Sunday, leaving just one survivor. The boat sank about 4 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen after being battered by strong waves.

The lone survivor was a 42-year-old man who was fleeing violence in Somalia with his wife and their three children. He used a plastic container from the boat to help him swim 23 hours to reach the coast of Yemen.

The United Nations refugee agency says the dead included 55 refugees and 3 smugglers. "We are horrified by this latest tragedy that adds to the terrible suffering of the Somali people. The Gulf of Aden remains one of the deadliest routes for those fleeing the fatal mix of conflict, violence and human rights abuses in the Horn of Africa," said the U.N. high commissioner for refugees.

So far, 23 bodies have been recovered from the water.

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