By Murad al-Arifi

SANAA

A Yemeni ship carrying more than 60 passengers sank while sailing to Socotra island in the Indian Ocean.

“Twenty-six passengers have been rescued, including four women,” Socotra governor Ramzi Mahrous told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

The ship sank late Tuesday after it set sail from Al-Muklla, the capital of the southeastern Hadhramaut province.

Yemeni Fisheries Minister Fahd Kafayin said on Facebook the vessel had an “accident”, but did not elaborate.

He said the ship had gone missing five days ago.

It remains unclear what caused the ship to sink.

Kafayin appealed to the Saudi-led coalition, which has a naval presence in the area, to intervene to rescue the passengers on board.

Yemen has been roiled by chaos since 2014 when Houthi rebels overran the capital Sanaa and other provinces, forcing the Saudi-backed government to flee to Saudi Arabia.