The HMCS Toronto detached four vessels late Sunday night as part of a search-and-rescue operation it was asked to participate in by the Yemeni government after a volcano on the island of Jabal al-Tair released ash and lava into the air, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday.

At least eight Yemeni soldiers are thought to be lost at sea following the eruption.

"I hesitate to say how many (soldiers) are actually missing," Lt. Cmdr. Angus Topshee, the executive officer aboard HMCS Toronto, told the CBC. "However, what I can say is we have recovered one survivor on board Toronto and unfortunately pulled two dead bodies from the water as well."

The rescued Yemeni soldier told the ship's crew that he had been swimming for 20 hours.

A total 23 survivors have been rescued, CNN reported.

Officials said the island had experienced several small earthquakes Sunday morning before the volcano erupted. It sits on a major geological fault line and last recorded a volcanic eruption in the late 19th century, the BBC said.