ADEN (AFP) - A small cargo ship transporting tyres among other goods has run aground off the southeastern coast of Yemen with 12 Indian sailors aboard, a local official said Sunday.

The Indian-made dhow has been stuck off the shores of Shihr, in Hadramawt, since Thursday night, the official said.

"The 12 sailors, all Indian nationals, are in good health" and still aboard the ship, said the official in remarks carried by the defence ministry's news website 26sep.net.

Media reports had said some of the crew died and other said the dhow had sunk.

But the official said that the ship's cargo is being unloaded while officials have launched an investigation into the incident.

The vessel, owned by a merchant from Hadramawt, was carrying tyres, mattresses and food supplies, from the United Arab Emirates to nearby Mukalla.