India

Indian Embassy Confirms Safe Return of 19 Seafarers from Yemen

By PTI

The Indian Embassy in Yemen announced on Sunday, November 8 2026, that nineteen Indian seafarers who had been stranded in Hodeidah and Sana’a for the past two weeks have been safely evacuated and are on their way back to India. The embassy posted on X that all seafarers are in good health and thanked those who helped facilitate the evacuation. The rescue follows India’s earlier statement that fourteen Indian nationals aboard a yacht involved in an incident off the Yemeni coast were safe. It is not yet known whether those fourteen are among the nineteen evacuated. On October 23, the embassy had reported that the fourteen nationals were safe and that it was working with relevant parties to determine the circumstances of the incident. Some Arab media had quoted Yemen‑based Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, who claimed Saudi forces had targeted the yacht near Yuqar Island in the Red Sea, close to the Yemeni coast, and that Houthi forces were rescuing the crew. The incident occurred amid renewed clashes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis, with recent attacks and counterattacks. Saudi forces have intercepted Houthi missiles and drones, while Saudi‑led coalition airstrikes have been carried out in Yemen, raising fears of a return to wider conflict after a relative calm under a 2022 truce. The latest violence has also impacted civilian and energy infrastructure and heightened security concerns in the Red Sea and the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a key international shipping route.