A ferry carrying around 55 people has been reported missing on the Indian Ocean off Yemen's eastern coast, local authorities in Socotra Island said on Saturday.

"We received a report today (Saturday) that a ferry went missing after leaving the port of Mahrah towards Socotra Island with 55 people on board," Xinhua News Agency quoted local authorities as saying in a statement released by the state-run Saba News Agency.

"We made necessary communications with the Saudi-led coalition (in Yemen) after receiving the information about the ferry that went missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched," said a local official in Socotra.

A Yemeni official named as Raed Huraibi said that the ferry, owned by a local trader, left the province of Mahrah last Wednesday but failed to arrive on time.

Socotra is a UNESCO world natural heritage site protected by the UN body for its unique flora and fauna.