Yemen ? A boat loaded with Somali and Ethiopian migrants capsized in the Gulf of Aden during a treacherous night crossing in which at least 112 people died, a Yemeni official said Friday.

The boat was among a group of four vessels carrying migrants from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, a U.N. official and a Yemeni human rights activist said. More than 280 were aboard the boats.

When it capsized late Monday, smugglers in the other boats forced their passengers into the sea so they themselves could return quickly to shore, said the human rights activist, whose group helped survivors from the capsizing.