All 14 Indian nationals aboard a yacht involved in an incident off Yemen’s coast have been reported safe, the Indian Embassy said, as authorities work to establish the facts amid rising Red Sea tensions. (Images: X)
Aden: All 14 Indian nationals aboard a yacht involved in an incident off Yemen’s coast have been reported safe, the Indian Embassy said on Friday, October 23, as efforts continue to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident amid the region’s volatile security situation.
In an update shared on X, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said preliminary reports indicated that all 14 Indians were safe and located in the vicinity of Hodeidah, Yemen. The mission said it would continue working to ensure their well-being. The latest update follows the embassy’s earlier statement that it was seeking reliable information about an incident reported off Yemen on October 22, involving a yacht believed to be carrying Indian sailors.
The embassy said obtaining confirmed information had been difficult because of the prevailing conflict in the region. It added that it had contacted multiple parties to establish the facts and circumstances of the incident.
The mission said it hoped to share further updates once authentic information became available. While the latest communication reported all 14 Indians safe, the precise sequence of events involving the yacht remained unclear in the information provided by the embassy.
The incident drew attention after Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed on Thursday that its forces had undertaken a rescue operation involving an Indian yacht near Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree alleged that Saudi Arabia had targeted the vessel, which he said was carrying 14 Indian nationals. He described the information as preliminary and said further details would be provided later.
Saree also claimed that the alleged incident posed a threat to international navigation in the Red Sea. These assertions were made by the Houthi side; the embassy’s statement cited above did not independently confirm the circumstances or responsibility for the incident.
The yacht incident comes amid wider security concerns in the region. On Wednesday, an attack at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, killed an Indian national and another person, while two other Indian nationals were injured, according to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
The incident prompted India to reiterate its opposition to attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure.
On Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned reported attacks on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oil field in the Eastern Province on October 21. The ministry said the attacks had resulted in civilian deaths and injuries and called for attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure to stop immediately.
India also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its sovereignty and said it hoped peace and normalcy would return to the region as soon as possible. MEA added that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh was in contact with Saudi authorities and would extend all possible assistance.
With all 14 Indian nationals aboard the yacht reported safe, the immediate priority remains ensuring their well-being and confirming what happened off Yemen’s coast. The Indian mission has said it is working with relevant parties to establish the facts.
Further details about the incident are awaited as the security situation in the Red Sea and surrounding areas remains volatile.
