VOA标准英语2009年-Death Toll Continues to Mount in Gulf of A

The United Nations refugee agency reports 16 people have drowned in the Gulf¹ of Aden over the weekend in two separate incidents involving smuggling² boats sailing from Somalia. The UNHCR says these tragedies are continuing to mount.
　
Bossasso Beach in Somalia's Puntland region is the departure point for smuggler's boats heading for Yemen, 01 Sep 2009

In the first of the two tragic³ events, survivors⁴ report the boat capsized early Saturday night when the smugglers began to push passengers over board into the waters off the coast of Yemen. The boat, which departed Friday from a village near the Somali port of Bosasso, was carrying 44 people.

The passengers say the smugglers began forcing people into the sea as they were approaching land. They say frightened passengers moved towards one side of the vessel⁵ causing it to capsize.

U.N. refugee spokesman, Andrej Mahecic, says 34 passengers made it to shore, seven bodies were recovered and buried. He says another three African nationals are still missing and their status remains⁶ unknown.

"The second boat, reportedly carrying 42 Somalis, reached the shore of Yemen early Sunday morning after having sailed for almost a day. Fearing detection by the Yemeni authorities, the smugglers forced passengers to swim to shore," said Mahecic. As a result, three people drowned and three others are missing and presumed dead. Thirty people managed to swim to shore, while six others are reported to have remained onboard with the smugglers," he said.

The U.N. refugee agency says Somalis desperate to flee war, drought and poverty in their country continue to risk their lives by taking the perilous⁷ journey across the Gulf of Aden.

Mahecic says in the past five days, 17 boats carrying 835 people arrived in Yemen after crossing the Gulf of Aden from the Horn of Africa, a region beset⁸ by conflict, political instability, famine and drought.

He says some 36,000 Africans reached the shore of Yemen between January and August. He notes this is an increase of 33 percent over the same period last year.

The UNHCR reports more than 50,000 people arrived in Yemen on smugglers' boats in 2008. During the same period, it says some 590 people drowned and 359 others are missing at sea and presumed dead.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

3 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

8 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。