Yemen Crisis: INS Mumbai stops off Aden amid heavy shelling

Navy personnel rescue Indians from Aden. (Photo Courtesy: Navy)

An Indian warship sent to evacuate stranded Indian nationals in Yemen was unable to enter Aden on Saturday because of heavy shelling. The guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai, one of Indian Navy’s most powerful warships, was anchored a few kilometres from the coast and Indians were being ferried to it by boat, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. K C Joseph, Kerala minister for diaspora, said about 200 Indians had assembled in Aden to be evacuated.

Senior government officials said Pakistan nationals were working with an Indian company and termed it as “South Asian” cooperation. Pakistani officials told The Sunday Express that they were “thankful” for the gesture.

The Navy confirmed that INS Mumbai was unable to enter Aden port. Officials had hired a dozen smaller vessels, each capable of carrying 30 to 35 people, to ferry the Indians to the destroyer, the Navy said. INS Mumbai will sail to Djibouti after picking up the Indians. The Navy also said that INS Sumitra, another warship involved in “Operation Rahat”, was unable to rescue people from Al Mukalla port.

“INS Mumbai outside Aden harbour commences evacuation of stranded Indians… Absolute tough environment at Aden… Small craft being hired by Indian authorities to ensure swift exist from war torn city,” said a Navy official. According to the official, the evacuation of stranded Indians was being carried out in “almost war-like conditions”.

“Even as we evacuated 1,800 of our citizens from Yemen we also helped some from Bangladesh, Djibouti, Nepal, Pakistan and Uganda so far. INS Mumbai to sail from Aden 2 Djibouti in pitch darkness with precious cargo of 439 evacuated from Yemen,” MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin tweeted late in the evening. Interestingly, Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs too said its vessels rescued 11 Indian nationals.

“All evacuated from Sana’a to Djibouti depart for home. AI 777 leaves Djibouti for Kochi with 322 pax. ETA Kochi 2230 hrs,” Akbaruddin had tweeted earlier on Saturday.

A Navy spokesperson said there are no deadlines given and that evacuation will continue till the last Indian in Yemen is evacuated.

Source:: Indian Express