At least 35 African migrants have drowned and 20 others still missing off the coast of Yemen after their boat capsized when crossing the Gulf of Aden, a local official source said Thursday.

The incident took place off the coast of southern Yemeni province of Shabwa on Thursday morning, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Some 60 people were able to get out of the deep water after swimming, but the waves hurled the bodies of 35 migrants, including nine women, to the coast, the source added.

Witnesses said with the help of nearby fishermen, local authorities have buried the bodies of the dead.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) confirmed the incident.

The UNHCR said in a statement that by midday Thursday, 35 bodies had been recovered by UNHCR's partner agency, the Society of Human Solidarity.

The boat was carrying about 117 migrants when the tragedy occurred, according to the Geneva-based agency.

The UNHCR has said so far this year, a reported 17,035 people have made the dangerous voyage from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, while 74 people have died and 51 remain missing at sea.

Those who make the Gulf of Aden crossing are fleeing desperate situations of civil war, political instability, poverty and famine in Somalia and the region, according to the UN agency.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2009)