Two Yemeni fishermen killed in landmine explosion

May 28, 2009, 19:28 GMT

Sana'a, Yemen - Two Yemeni fishermen were killed and another was injured when a landmine went off on the shore of a Red Sea island on Thursday, the official Saba news agency reported.

The accident comes two days after two Yemeni fishermen were killed as their boat was hit by a missile fired by an international counter-piracy warship in the Red Sea.

The agency said Thursday's explosion took place as the fishermen were disembarking from their boat at the Honey Island in the Red Sea.

Eight other crew members survived the blast uninjured, it said.

Yemeni official media have frequently reported attacks by international counter-piracy warships against Yemeni boats in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

On January 14, a Yemeni fisherman was killed and two others were injured during an anti-piracy operation by a Russian Navy ship near the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.

Yemeni authorities said the fishermen were caught in crossfire after a Russian frigate attacked Somali pirates attempting to hijack a Dutch vessel.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden has surged in recent years as Somalia descends further into chaos and the ineffectual central government continues to squabble rather than govern.