Govt mulls special flights to bring in Indians from Yemen

The government is considering whether to operate special flights to bring in Indians from Yemen where violent clashes have left over 200 people dead in months of unrest.

By PTI | Jun 14, 2011, 09.05 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The government is considering whether to operate special flights to bring in Indians from Yemen where violent clashes have left over 200 people dead in months of unrest.

"There are thousands of people (Indians) in Yemen who want to come back. Many of them have no money...Discussions are going on with External Affairs and Defence Ministries whether they can come back to India without paying anything," Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said here.

Asked whether special aircraft would be sent to bring them back, he said, "We are considering all aspects. They are facing serious problems."

Indian government last week appealed to its nationals to leave the poor Arab nation by any available commercial means given the prevailing security situation. It has issued two advisories to this effect.

Indian nationals have been asked to urgently approach the Indian Mission in Sana'a for any assistance that may be needed.

There are over 10,000 PIOs and Indian nationals in Yemen, according to government estimates.

In order to meet the situation, the Indian Embassy in Sana'a has been provided with additional personnel to assist Indians in need with air tickets and special travel documents.

However, only a few Indian nationals have availed of the Embassy's facilitation so far.

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