The attack resulted in 42 fatalities. Travelers on board were leaving from Yemen to escape civil unrest and were headed toward Sudan, according to BBC.
The victims were attacked by an Apache helicopter near the Bab al-Mandeb strait. A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokeswoman said:
“We are distressed by this incident and understand that refugees were traveling in a vessel off the coast of Hodeidah which was reportedly impacted during the course of hostilities.”
Eric Christopher Wyss, of the International Committee of the Red Cross, told BBC News.
“I saw many men, women and children either killed or horribly wounded. Survivors told us that many of the passengers were refugees from Somalia or Yemen, fleeing conflict.”
The Somali refugees were carrying identity documents issued by UNHCR, according to UN’s refugee agency. There were 80 survivors and they were brought to a hospital in Hodeidah.
It has not been confirmed who executed the attack. Somalia has produced around 1.1 million refugees, most of which fled to places such Kenya and Ethiopia according to the Refugee Council USA.
Source:ijr.com