Nineteen Indian seafarers who had been stranded in Yemen’s Hodeidah and Sana’a for nearly two weeks have been safely evacuated and are now returning to India. The Indian Embassy in Yemen said on Sunday said that all 19 are safe and in good health.
In a post on X, the Embassy said, “The Embassy of India to Yemen has successfully evacuated 19 Indian seafarers who were stranded in Hodeidah and Sana’a (Yemen) for the past two weeks. All seafarers are safe, in good health, and on their way back to India. The Embassy sincerely thanks all concerned for their valuable cooperation and continued support in facilitating the safe evacuation of our Indian nationals.”
The evacuation comes days after India said 14 Indian nationals aboard a yacht involved in an incident off the Yemeni coast were safe. It is not immediately clear whether the 14 are among the 19 seafarers evacuated.
On October 23, the Indian mission had confirmed that all 14 Indians aboard a yacht near Hodeidah were safe. It had also said it was coordinating with the concerned authorities to gather details about the incident.
Saudi forces targeted Indian yacht
Earlier, some Arab media reports quoted Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree as alleging that Saudi forces had targeted the Indian yacht near Yuqar Island in the Red Sea, off Yemen’s coast. Saree claimed that the vessel was carrying 14 Indian nationals and that Houthi forces were involved in rescuing them.
The incident occurred amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with both sides reportedly stepping up attacks in recent days. Saudi Arabia has intercepted missiles and drones launched by the Houthis, while Saudi-led coalition forces have conducted airstrikes in Yemen.
The renewed hostilities have raised concerns about a broader conflict, threatening the relative calm maintained under a truce that came into effect in 2022. Attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure have further heightened security concerns in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial route for international maritime trade.
23 Indian nationals killed in West Asia conflict
Meanwhile, India has lost 23 nationals in the ongoing conflict in West Asia, including 15 Indian seafarers, while five Indian nationals have been killed in attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea region and two others remain missing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal earlier in the month.
The Saudi-led coalition on Sunday said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia towards the Saudi capital, Riyadh. “Air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi terrorist militia toward Riyadh,” the coalition said.
The interception comes after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued alerts warning of a “potential danger” in the eastern city of Dammam and the governorates of Abqaiq and Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province, Al Jazeera reported.
(With ANI, PTI inputs)
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