Passenger Vessel Goes Down off Yemen, Dozens Rescued

At least 35 of the 64 people who were on a ferry that sank off Yemen have been rescued, a Yemeni minister said on Wednesday.

Rescue teams continued to look for survivors from the boat that was en route from Hadramout province in mainland Yemen to the island of Socotra, Fisheries Minister Fahad Kaffen said on his Facebook page.

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.

The Aden al-Ghad news website said the ship was believed to have suffered an accident and authorities at Hadramout's Mukalla port lost contact with it on Tuesday evening.

It sank 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Socotra, an archipelago some 380 km south of mainland Yemen.

The government has appealed for help from its allies in the Saudi-led military coalition, which has a naval presence in the area.