Three naval ships to evacuate Indians from Yemen

The Indian Navy on Wednesday said it has deployed three ships to help in the evacuation of Indian nationals from strife-torn Yemen.

A navy release said INS Sumitra, an offshore patrol vessel, which was deployed for anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, has evacuated some 350 Indian nationals from Yemen to Djibouti.

Djibouti, a country neighbouring Yemen, is located on the Horn of Africa in the Gulf of Aden.

The release said that two vessels - destroyer INS Mumbai and stealth frigate INS Tarkash - had sailed from Mumbai on March 30 and will be available for evacuation of Indian nationals from ports in Yemen.

Fighting has been going on in Yemen since January 22 when the legitimate government under President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was ousted by Shiite Houthi forces. This has provoked the recent military campaign by a coalition of 10 countries led by Saudi Arabia.

According to the external affairs ministry, nearly 4,000 Indians are stranded in Yemen.