348 Indians evacuated from Yemen through sea route

Indian Naval ship, INS Sumitra, rescued 348 stranded Indian nationals from strife-torn Yemen's Aden city late last night.

The ship is now on its way to Djibouti, a country neighbouring Yemen and across the Red Sea.

"Sailing away from troubles. INS Sumitra set sail for Djibouti late last night from Aden with 348 Indian nationals evacuated from Yemen," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Syed Akbaruddin.

The evacuation operation took place amid the escalating violence in Yemen. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs General VK Singh also left for Djibouti to oversee the evacuation process.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier stated that the government was doing everything to evacuate Indian nationals from Yemen at the earliest.

Saudi-led coalition war planes have struck pro-Iranian rebels in Yemen with the Islamic kingdom threatening to send ground troops which could potentially initiate a broader sectarian conflict in the Middle East.

Earlier, Houthi rebels backed by allied army units seized Yemen's largest al-Anad air base on Wednesday from forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

The Security Council had also released a statement expressing unanimous support to President Hadi, who has sought refuge in the southern port city of Aden after fleeing the capital Sanaa in February.

Instability has steadily been rising in the nation, where al-Qaeda and Islamic State sympathisers also pose a threat.