JOIN USKerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Friday said India would soon evacuate about 1,900 Indians stranded in strife-torn Yemen.
The Indian Air Force and Air India operated aircraft for the evacuation on Thursday; while one aircraft was scheduled to land in Kochi late night on Friday, the other two were headed for Mumbai.
“The aircraft landing in Kochi will have 340 passengers,” Chandy told reporters. Two Navy ships that were scheduled to arrive in the ports of Aden and Hodeidah in Yemen on Friday would also return with the evacuees on Saturday, the chief minister said.
Chandy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting more aircraft for the evacuation in the wake of clearance given to India to operate services at the Sanaa airport.
An official statement said Chandy also noted that there were reports that China, Russia and Pakistan had already evacuated their citizens from Yemen and India falling short was “a matter of concern”.
Indians stranded in Yemen are struggling to reach ports and airports. The Indian Embassy in Yemen should ensure that employers who withhold passports and travel documents of Indian employees release them, Chandy said.
Transport Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation would run free services in six buses for evacuees arriving at Kochi.