UNHCR reports at least 52 Somalis died when the boat smuggling them across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen broke down, leaving them adrift with no food or water for 18 days. The UNHCR says this latest tragedy coincides with a recent upsurge in people smuggling across the Gulf of Aden.
联合国难民署报告说，一艘偷渡船在穿越亚丁海前往也门时抛锚，船上人员漂流了18天没有水喝也没有进食，至少52名索马里人丧生。联合国难民事务高级专员公署说，在这起惨剧发生的同时，穿越亚丁湾的人口偷渡最近有所增加。
According to the U.N. refugee agency, survivors say the boat left Marera on the Somali coast with at least 124 passengers on September 3 and the engine stopped several hours into the voyage.
联合国难民署说，幸存者说这艘船9月3号载著124人从索马里的马里拉海港出发。开出来几个小时之后引擎就熄火了。
The survivors report knife-wielding smugglers told passengers they would travel to the Somali city of Bossaso in a smaller boat to re-charge a battery and then return. UNHCR spokesman, Ron Redmond, says the smugglers abandoned them.
幸存者说，挥舞刀具的蛇头对船上的人说，他们要乘坐小一点的船到索马里城市博沙索充电，然后回来。联合国难民署发言人雷德蒙德说，这些蛇头丢下这些人跑了。
"And, the passengers were left to drift for 18 days without food or water. During the voyage, 38 men and 10 women died. The survivors said their bodies were thrown overboard in the Gulf of Aden," Redmond added. "When they finally did reach the coast, three of the survivors jumped into the water off shore to swim to the beach to alert authorities that the boat was out there. One of those who jumped overboard did not make it, is missing and feared drowned."
雷德蒙德说：“船上这些人被留在船上，漂流了18天，没有吃的也没有水。38名男子和10名妇女死在途中。幸存者说，他们的尸体从船上扔到亚丁湾里。他们最后到岸边时，三名幸存者跳到水中并游上岸，向有关当局发出信号，说船在那边。其中跳入水中的一个人没有游上岸失踪，估计已经淹死了。”
The UNHCR reports a sharp increase in the number of people being smuggled across the Gulf of Aden. It says more than 31,000 have arrived in Yemen so far this year.
联合国难民署报告说，穿越亚丁海偷渡的人数急剧增加，到今年目前为止，已经有3千1百多人偷渡到也门。
That includes more than 21,000 Somalis and nearly 10,000 Ethiopians. The UNHCR says around 230 people have died while making the perilous voyage and more than 260 are missing.
其中包括2万1千名索马里人和大约1万名埃塞俄比亚人。联合国难民署说，大约230人在危险的偷渡途中丧生，260多人失踪。
Redmond tells VOA the brutality of the smugglers is well known as are the dangers of voyaging on rickety, overcrowded vessels. Nevertheless, he says the situation in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somalia, is so bad they are willing to risk their lives to escape.
雷德蒙德对美国之音说，人们知道蛇头很残酷，乘坐摇晃和过于拥挤的船只有危险。但是，他说，“非洲之角”特别是索马里的局势恶劣，所以这些人愿意冒著生命危险逃离。
"A lot of the Somalis who reach Yemen tell us that they have nothing left to lose," he said. "That they see no hope for the future, that the conflict in Somalia has gone on for so long that they see no future for themselves and they see no future for their children. So, they take this enormous risk and many of them have died. Hundreds and hundreds have died and many hundreds are also missing."
雷德蒙德说：“许多偷渡到也门的索马里人告诉我们说，他们没有留下任何可以失去的东西。他们看不到未来的希望，索马里的冲突进行了这么久，他们看不到自己的希望，更看不到孩子的希望。所以，他们冒著这么巨大的风险，而且许多也丧了命。好几百人死了，好几百人还失踪了。”
Redmond admits there is a limit to what the international community can do to stop this deadly traffic. Until there is a political solution to the nearly two-decade-old conflict in Somalia, he says these tragedies will continue.
雷德蒙德承认国际社会要阻止这种致命的偷渡活动所能作的很有限。他说，除非政治解决索马里这场大约20年的冲突，否则这些惨剧还将继续下去。 |