The vessel capsized off Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Sunday, the Yemen chief for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told the BBC.

He confirmed 12 people have been rescued so far.

However, a large number of people remain unaccounted.

Most of the victims are believed to be Ethiopian nationals, IOM told the British media.

Migrants often use Yemen as a major pathway to travel from  the Horn of Africa to Gulf states in search of work.

IOM Yemen chief Abdusattor Esoev told BBC the boat was on a dangerous route in the vast coastal area often used by people smugglers.

"What we are advocating for all member states… is to enhance their regular pathways so people can take legal ways in order to migrate, instead of being trapped or deceived by smugglers and taking those dangerous journeys," he said.

The IOM's Missing Migrants Project says over 44,000 migrants around the world have lost their lives since the project began in 2014.