Bhatkal family back from Yemen

 “We were afraid to venture out of our houses as the streets in Aden were turned into war zone.

“The deafening sound of the gunshots and the explosions were heard day in day out. We had lost all our hopes of returning to India. With some timely help from Indian government and the media we are back home,” a relieved Mohammad Yunus Shabandri, who returned to his hometown Bhatkal from the war torn Yemen in the early hours of Friday, said.

Yunus Shabandri, who had migrated along with his family to Yemen eight years back, shared the ordeal he and his family members went through in the civil war hit country with Deccan Herald.

“Sunni Muslim coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, had launched air strike on the rebel Houthi-controlled areas in Aden and Saan’a for the past two weeks. The coalition forces were bombing the bases controlled by battle hardened Houthis. The rebels, who had sophisticated weapons and ammunitions too had launched counter-attacks. The streets at Aden and Saan’a were turned into war zones. We spotted children, carrying guns and Kalashnikovs, wandering the streets. People were afraid to venture out of their houses.

As the days elapsed, our foodgrain reserves and fruits started diminishing and eventually got over. Last few days we survived just on rice. The incessant bombing had destroyed water pipelines. The water reserves in the house too had been exhausted. We would have died of starvation had the Indian government delayed in evacuating us from Yemen. Indian armed forces bailed us out from crisis-hit country, he recounted.

Shabandri had moved to Yemen, along with his wife Khanita Taslim, children Lamiya, Inah and Ahmed, eight years back. A rice trader, Yunus had set up his shop Noah Trading Company at Aden. Nephew Mohammad Shahid had joined Yunus in the business eight months back.

There are atleast 1,300 Indians stranded in Aden and another 3,000 are struck in strife-torn Saan’a. “I got in touch with the officials of Indian embassy at Yemen and pleaded them to bail my family out of the war-torn country. The officials responded positively and here we are gearing up for second innings,” Shabandri said.

5 Indians rescued by ship

Kasargod: Jinto Joseph, a native of Kasargod who was stranded in strife-torn Yemen finally returned home on Thursday night.

Along with him, four other Indian citizens – Lathif Mustafa of Periya, Shashidharan of Neeleshwara, Manu Thomas of Kannur, Aneesh Ramanathan of Payyanur – also returned.
From the port city of Aden, they travelled by ship to Djibouti. From there they flew to Mumbai and Mangaluru. Joseph was a maintenance worker at a hotel in Lulu market. “As the violence broke out in Yemen, the hotel was closed down. “We resided in our accommodation.

The sound of the airstrike outside shook the building. Hearing the news of an Indian ship at the coast to evacuate people, we left from our accommodation. We saw the devastation caused by the war en route to the port. Once we had to get back inside half way as the violence increased,” said Jinto.

“The Lulu market owner Yusuf Ali gave Rs 10,000. He has promised to pay my salary till the war ends in the region,” he said. He thanked God for his safe return home and to his mother Traisamma, father Joseph, wife Jinsy and child Jumina. He said: “The air strikes situation was the worst and I could here the sound often. I did not come out of my room for seven days. With the available food and water, we managed to survive.”