Safe And Heading Home: India Evacuates 19 Seafarers From Yemen

Nineteen Indian seafarers stranded in Yemen’s Hodeidah and Sana’a for two weeks have been evacuated and are returning to India

PGurus Newsdesk

November 9, 2026

The seafarers had been stuck in Hodeidah and Sana’a as Saudi-Houthi hostilities escalated

India has lost 23 nationals in the West Asia conflict, including 15 seafarers, the MEA said earlier this month

Nineteen Indian seafarers who were stranded in Yemen’s Hodeidah and Sana’a for nearly two weeks have been evacuated and are returning to India, the Indian Embassy in Yemen said on Sunday.

In a post on X, the Embassy said the seafarers are safe, in good health and on their way home. It thanked all concerned for their cooperation and continued support in facilitating the evacuation.

The Embassy did not say how the seafarers came to be stranded, or how the evacuation was carried out. It is also unclear whether the 19 include the 14 Indian nationals who were aboard a yacht near Hodeidah, whom the mission had confirmed safe on October 23.

Arab media reports, quoting Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, had alleged that Saudi forces targeted an Indian yacht near Yuqar Island in the Red Sea, and claimed that Houthi forces were involved in rescuing the 14 Indians aboard. The claim has not been independently verified, and the Indian mission said at the time that it was coordinating with the authorities to gather details of the incident.

The episode comes as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels have risen, with both sides reportedly stepping up attacks. On Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh. The renewed hostilities have raised fears for the truce that took effect in 2022, with the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key route for global maritime trade, among the areas of concern.

India has also paid a human cost in the wider West Asia conflict. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said earlier this month that India has lost 23 nationals in the conflict, including 15 seafarers.

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