ADEN: A ferry carrying at least 55 people has gone missing in the Indian Ocean near Yemen's eastern coast, as per local authorities in Socotra Island here.
"We received a report on Saturday that a ferry went missing after leaving the port of Mahrah towards Socotra Island with 55 people on board," Xinhua quoted the authorities as saying in a statement released by the state-run news agency.
"We made necessary communications with the Saudi-led coalition after receiving the information about the ferry that went missing and a search and rescue operation was launched," a local official added.
The ferry had departed from Mahrah earlier in the week but failed to arrive at its destination on time, which raised alarm bells.