India evacuates 351 more from Yemen

Indian nationals on their arrival at Djibouti after they were evacuated from Al Hudaydah in Yemen, Friday. (PTI photo)

India on Friday got permission to land in Sana’a following which it evacuated 351 nationals, taking the total number of evacuees to nearly 1,000 from war-ravaged Yemen.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said that Air India made two sorties to pull out 351 nationals.
Air India had sent two 180-seater Airbus A320 planes to Muscat on March 30 for evacuation of Indians from Sana’a to Djibouti but they could not fly to the Yemeni city as clearance was not given by the concerned authorities.

“Though the government was working on four air sorties but due to time corridor factor, only two could be held. The 351 evacuees have reached Djibouti,” officials said.

Nearly 2,500 Indian nationals are waiting in Sana’a to flee the strife-torn country.Meanwhile, Navy vessel INS Sumitra also reached Djibouti with 306 Indian nationals from Al Hudaydah. All the nationals will be brought home by special flights of the IAF.

Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh is in Djibouti to oversee the evacuation.

INS Sumitra had evacuated 350 Indians from Aden on Tuesday, who were brought back to the country from Djibouti by two IAF C-17 Globemasters.

Source:: Indian Express