INS Mumbai unable to enter Aden port, Navy says evacuation carried out in war-like situation

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Saturday that due to heavy shelling in Aden, an Indian warship which was sent to evacuate the stranded Indians in Yemen, is unable to enter the port and is evacuating them from outside the harbour.

Swaraj took to microblogging website Twitter to provide this information. “There is heavy shelling in Aden.The ship is anchored 5/6 KM off the coast. Indian nationals are being taken by boat to board the ship there,” she tweeted.  

There is heavy shelling in Aden.The ship is anchored 5/6 KM off the coast. Indian nationals are being taken by boat to board the ship there. — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 4, 2015

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy confirmed that the guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai, one of the Indian Navy’s most powerful warships, was unable to enter the Aden port.

“Officials had hired a dozen smaller vessels, each capable of carrying 30 to 35 people, to ferry the Indians to the destroyer,” the Navy officials said.

The warship placed itself just outside Aden harbour as part of 'Operation Raahat' as heavy firing was reported in Aden where the Saudi-led coalition is fighting Houthi rebels who are making a bid for the city.

Indian authorities have hired small crafts which are being used to move 30-35 Indians at one time from the port to INS Mumbai, the Navy said.

While the exact number of Indians stranded there is not known, defence sources put it over 200.

"Absolute tough environment at Aden... Evacuation of stranded Indians being carried out in almost war-like conditions by Indian Naval ship Mumbai," the Navy said.

One of the evacuees included a pregnant woman who was cared for by Navy personnel on the ship.

The Navy officials further said INS Sumitra was unable to rescue Indians from Al Mukalla port in Yemen today. It will try and evacuate the stranded Indians tomorrow. Al Mukalla city has been overrun by al Qaeda.

Earlier in the day, Ministry of External Affairs ( MEA) spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin posted a list of Indians being evacuated from Yemen according to their respective States.

State-centric information. Here is indicative list of Indians evacuated from Yemen according to States they indicated pic.twitter.com/lz3G0AE7tX — Syed Akbaruddin (@MEAIndia) April 4, 2015

In a series of tweets he assured that all stranded Indians will be evacuated safely.

One step at a time. Surely & with certainty India's evacuation efforts from Yemen are continuing unabated. pic.twitter.com/22ibVUhYfW — Syed Akbaruddin (@MEAIndia) April 4, 2015

Big & small, all have to come home. 2 Air India flights out of Sana'a land in Djibouti today with 325 on board. pic.twitter.com/nYwdsbogGC — Syed Akbaruddin (@MEAIndia) April 4, 2015

Till now, 1,350 Indians have been evacuated from Yemen and efforts are on to rescue over 2,000 others from various parts of the strife-torn country where situation has deteriorated significantly due to escalation in fighting between warring groups.

Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh, who was overseeing the massive evacuation operation from Djibouti, had also gone to Sanaa, the largest Yemeni city from where Air India was rescuing Indians after getting permission to land. Singh has come back to Djibouti today.

A group of 46 persons, including seven women and two children belonging to Tamil Nadu, reached here Chennai airport in two private flights after they were evacuated from strife-torn Yemen, as per the airport sources.

The group members, most of them belonging to Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts, were part of the 334 people who landed in Mumbai in two Indian Air Force planes last night after their evacuation.

Tamil Nadu Government officials were at the airport to welcome them.

The state government had arranged for their travel to their respective destinations, the sources added.

(With Agency inputs)