A boat carrying Somali refuge-seekers has been seized on Yemen's southern shores, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

The boat was intercepted by Yemeni coast guard ships off the town of Ahwar in Abyan province, the statement said in a statement.

The 101 illegal migrants on board, including 35 women and children, were transferred to refugee camps under the supervision of the United Nations.

Smugglers are known to cram Somalis fleeing conflict in their country into small boats during the journey to Yemen across the Gulf of Aden.

Yemeni officials said that the number of Somali refugees who had arrived in Yemen illegally has reached over 700,000.