New Delhi: In one of the biggest rescue operations ever by India, nearly 350 Indians have been rescued from war-torn Yemen so far. The Navy evacuated the Indian nationals from Aden in Yemen and brought to Djibouti in North Africa.
Kerala Minister KC Joseph said the Indian nationals have reached Djibouti safely and will be brought to Delhi soon.
Meanwhile, the Indian embassy officials in Yemen have asked people whose travel papers are ready to reach the Sanaa airport immediately. They have been told that the flight will take off around 1.30 pm IST.
The people will be taken to Dijibouti and will thereafter be brought to India. However, there is no confirmation on the time of the flights from Dijibouti to India.
The Navy sailed into a barrage of bombs to rescue Indian citizens in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has been conducting air strikes in Yemen against Houthi rebels. There are nearly 4,000 Indians in Yemen who have been caught in the crossfire.
The evacuation took place after India got permission to dock its ship at the Aden harbour on Tuesday night as the government launched a massive air and sea evacuation operation for its over 4,000 stranded Indians in Yemen.
Two warships have been pressed into service besides two passenger ships while the Indian Air Force has put on stand-by two C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft.
Air India has stationed two 180-seater Airbus A320 planes in Muscat for evacuation of Indians from Yemen's capital Sana'a to Djibouti whenever a clearance is given by the concerned authorities.
Defence sources said four ships, including destroyer INS Mumbai and stealth frigate INS Tarkash, will reach Yemen by Saturday. Two merchant vessels - Kavaratti and Coral - have also been dispatched. The four ships are to join each other in Arabian Sea on April 2 and proceed as a composite group to Djibouti.
The two 180-seater aircraft dispatched by Air India on Monday remain stuck in the Oman capital Muscat due to want of clearance from the authorities. Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) VK Singh headed for Djibouti to oversee the evacuation exercise christened 'Operation Raahat'.
Some Keralites working in Yemen who arrived at the Cochin International Airport on March 30 said that the situation in Yemen is very serious and hundreds of Indians in that country are living in fear. There are about 3,500 Indians, most of them nurses, in various provinces of Yemen including Sana'a.
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