More than 20 migrants died while dozens remain missing after a smuggling boat carrying around 150 African migrants sank off the coast of Abyan Province in southern Yemen, Yemeni sources said Sunday.

An anonymous local official told Xinhua that the boat overturned late Saturday night at around 11 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) due to strong winds.

Field teams recovered more than 20 bodies from the shores of Shaqra and Zinjibar cities on Sunday morning, while 12 survivors were rescued and transferred to Shaqra General Hospital for treatment, the official said, noting that dozens of migrants remain missing, Xinhua News Agency reported.