Yemen air strike: 13 out of 20 Indian crew members safe, 7 missing, MEA says
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday said that reports about killing of 20 Indians in a Saudi-led alliance in air strikes on fuel smugglers at a Yemeni port on Tuesday are untrue.
“Out of 20 crew members, 13 are alive and 7 are reported to be missing,” Vikas Swarup, MEA spokesperson said.
“We’ve seen media reports about the death of Indian nationals in Yemen. The Indian embassy in Djibouti is in touch with local contacts. We have ascertained that two boats came under aerial attack, boats were carrying a total of 20 Indian crew members,” Swarup said.MEA spokesperson said that no other information is currently available regarding the identity of the Indian nationals.
On Tuesday, there were reports that about 20 Indians were reportedly killed in airstrikes on fuel smugglers by Saudi Arabia-led forces at Hodeidah Port in Yemen. The alliance, made up mainly of Gulf Arab countries, has increased air strikes on Sanaa and other parts of the country since Friday, when a Houthi missile attack killed at least 60 Saudi, Bahraini and United Arab Emirates soldiers at a military camp east of Sanaa.
