NEW DELHI, November 9 (Aalimi Nation) – The Indian Embassy in Yemen said 19 Indian seafarers who had been stranded in Hodeidah and Sana'a for about two weeks have been evacuated and are on their way back to India.
In a post on social media on Sunday, November 8, the embassy said all of the seafarers were safe and in good health. "All seafarers are safe, in good health, and on their way back to India," it said, and thanked everyone concerned for their cooperation and support during the operation.
The embassy's statement did not give the names of the vessels involved, the home states of the seafarers, or the route and means by which they were moved out of the two Yemeni cities. It also did not say why they had been unable to leave. No separate statement from the Ministry of External Affairs on the evacuation was found at the time of writing.
The announcement came days after the Indian mission said on October 23 that all 14 Indian nationals aboard a yacht near Hodeidah were safe. The mission said at the time that it was in touch with the relevant parties to establish the circumstances of the incident. It is not clear whether those 14 people are among the 19 evacuated seafarers, and the embassy has not said so.
A spokesperson for the Houthi movement, Yahya Saree, had claimed that Saudi forces targeted a yacht near Yuqar Island in the Red Sea, and said the vessel carried 14 Indian nationals who were being rescued by Houthi forces. That account is a claim by one party to the conflict and has not been independently confirmed.
The evacuation comes amid an escalation of attacks and counterattacks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Saudi Arabia has intercepted Houthi missiles and drones, and Saudi-led coalition forces have carried out air strikes inside Yemen. The fighting has raised fears of a return to wider conflict after a period of relative calm under a truce reached in 2022.
The violence has affected civilian and energy infrastructure and has sharpened concerns about the security of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key global shipping route that carries a large share of trade between Asia and Europe.
Indian missions abroad routinely assist seafarers and other nationals caught in conflict zones, usually working with local authorities and other governments on safe passage. Families of seafarers stranded in such situations often depend on updates from the embassy, which has not so far given further details of the returning group.
The embassy has not said when the seafarers are expected to reach India or where they will land. Any further information about their travel, or about the circumstances that left them stranded, is likely to come from the embassy or the Ministry of External Affairs.
