7 Indians missing, 13 alive in Yemen
Indians were travelling to Yemen by 2 boats
New Delhi: Reacting to international newswire reports, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday said 13 out a total of 20 Indian crew members on two boats near Yemen that had come under aerial bombardment are alive while the remaining seven are reported missing.
The MEA statement contradicts international newswire reports on Tuesday night that had claimed that the 20 Indians had been killed. In a statement, the MEA on Wednesday said, “We have seen media reports about the death of Indian nationals in Yemen. The Indian Embassy officials in Djibouti are in touch with local contacts and we have ascertained that there were two boats one of which was plying between Berbera (Somalia) and Mokha (Yemen). The boats came under aerial bombardment in the afternoon of September 8. The boats were carrying a total of 20 Indian crew members of which 13 are alive and 7 are reported missing. No other information is currently available regarding the identities of the Indian nationals.”
“Embassy officials are in constant touch with local authorities and are also due to meet with the boat owner today at which point of time more information would be available,” it added.
International newswire reports, quoting residents and fishermen, on Tuesday night had claimed that at least 20 Indian nationals were killed in air strikes by Saudi-led coalition forces on fuel smugglers at Yemen's Hodeidah port. They claimed two boats were hit in the attack on an area near the port. India does not have an Embassy in Yemen, which was shut down earlier after evacuation of its nationals.