Operation Rahat: 3,300 Indians evacuated from strife-torn Yemen

NEW DELHI: India today evacuated 1052 of its nationals from Yemen, taking the total number of Indians rescued from the strife-torn country to nearly 3,300 as the government was looking at wrapping up the massive evacuation operation ' Rahat' in a couple of days.

While 574 Indians were evacuated from Sanaa by Air India, which did three sorties, another group of 479 was rescued from Al Hudaydah by INS Mumbai, the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry.

With nearly 3,300 of its nationals out of Yemen, India was looking at wrapping up the evacuation operation in a couple of days.

Meanwhile, 25 countries, including the US, Bangladesh and Iraq have sought India's assistance in evacuating its nationals from the war-ravaged country. While Pakistan has not sought help for the evacuation of its nationals, India during the operation also rescued Pakistani nationals.

Pakistan had also brought 11 Indians from Al Mukallah. The evacuees were being taken to Djibouti from where they will fly back to India in an Indian Air Force aircraft.

Tomorrow again, INS Turkish will dock at Al Hudaydah and bring back rest of the Indians who will gather there from nearby areas.

Official sources said the evacuation operation was going on notwithstanding the deteriorating situation across Yemen.

They said the number of Indians across Yemen was around 5,000 of whom 1,000 were women married to Yemeni nationals. The number of Indians in Saana would be around 3,000 while around 554 were in Aden and 298 in offshore oil fields.

Yemen has been witnessing fierce battle between Saudi-led coalition and Shiite rebels, who have battled their way into various cities Yemen including in the former stronghold of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who has fled overseas.