Indian ship evacuates 306 people from Yemen

New Delhi : Indian naval ship INS Sumitra left the Yemeni port town Al Hodeidah on Thursday evening after picking up 306 people who would reach Djibouti in east Africa on Good Friday.

A C-17 Globemaster-III aircraft of the Indian Air Force flew out of Jamnagar airbase for Djibouti to bring back the Indians including 38 women and 17 kids after INS Sumitra ferries them back to safety. As many as 11 foreigners are also on-board.

The port city of Hodeidah on the western coast of Yemen is one of the places where a war is being fought between the Saudi-led coalition forces and the rebels.

The Indian frigate left the Djibouti harbour on Wednesday night and reached Al Hodeida on Thursday afternoon. The city is about 230 km from Yemeni capital Sanaa where close to 3500 Indians are stranded.

INS Sumitra sailed to its second destination in



Yemen less than 24 hours after a midnight evacuation from the conflict zones of Aden, a port in southern Yemen.

It picked up about 350 Indians, who returned to Mumbai and Kochi in two IAF C-17 transporters. The Kochi flight carries 168 passengers whereas the jet that touched down in Mumbai carried 190 passengers.

India’s rescue effort is hampered as the planned air-bridge between Muscat and Sanaa has not been established in the absence of a secure air space.

 Two Air India flights continues to wait in Muscat looking for a green signal from the Saudi Air Force and other authorities.

Four Indian ships – INS Tarkash and INS Mumbai from the Navy and merchant vessels Kavaratti and Coral – met at the rendezvous point in the Arabian Sea on Thursday and proceeded together to Djibouti, where there are expected to reach by the weekend.