800 Indians evacuated from Yemen, 1800 Rescued So Far

At least 800 more were evacuated on Saturday, taking the number of Indians rescued so far to 1,800 from the strife-torn Yemen. Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh, who has been monitoring the massive evacuation operation from Djibouti, had also gone to Sanaa, the largest Yemeni city.

The missile destroyer of Indian Navy, INS Mumbai, could not dock at the Aden port due to heavy shelling. Small boats were used to ferry the rescued people to the ship. The ship was anchored 5-6 kilometres off the coast.

Situation in Yemen has deteriorated further, as the warring groups have intensified their operations. As there is a no-fly zone imposed by the international coalition in Yemeni airspace, India has approached Saudi Arabia to allow aerial sorties to Sanaa everyday.

At least 5,000 Indians are staying in Yemen. As 1,800 of them have been rescued so far, efforts are on to secure the safety of other people stranded in Yemen.