More than 40 killed as migrant boat capsizes off Yemen

Only four survivors found after vessel sinks in strong winds

Ethiopian migrants walk on the shores of Ras al Ara in Yemen, after disembarking from a boat. AP

Forty-one people were killed after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Yemen on Wednesday night, the UN's refugee agency has said.

Only four people survived the sinking, which occurred off the coast of Taiz.

The overloaded boat capsized in strong winds, the agency said.

The tragic accident highlighted the "perilous journey" between Yemen and East Africa.

The refugee agency was working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to assist the survivors and provide protection.

There were no details available on the passengers or the boat's origin of departure.

Fifty-six people died in a similar tragedy last month, when a boat capsized off the coast of Shabwah governorate, Yemen.

The victims had set off from the Somali city of Bosaso and were from Somalia and Ethiopia, the IOM said.

The death toll was initially reported at 47, before rising two weeks later as more bodies were found.

Survivors described "chaotic and harrowing scenes", the IOM said in a later report. People smugglers demanded all 260 passengers jump into the sea as the overcrowded vessel began to take on water.

"Many appeared to be young, aged between 15 and 25, and were now trying to rescue or mourn their companions," it said.

The route to Yemen is popular, with at least 97,000 people arriving in the country from across the Horn of Africa last year.

Many are trying to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries where they can work as labourers or domestic workers.

At least 1,860 migrants have died or gone missing on the route running from East Africa and the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries since 2014, according to an IOM tally.