Back from Yemen: A saga they will never forget.

By Vicky

Published: Thursday, April 2, 2015, 16:37 [IST]

New Delhi, April 2: Being in a war zone and then coming out of it gives a person a sense of relief. To have not slept for over two weeks and being awake to the sound of bombs and gun fire is something that no person would want to experience.

The case of Yonus Mohammad a resident of Bhatkal who was one among the 350 rescued from Yemen is quite telling. He is back after a long ordeal and cannot thank the Indian government enough. However will he go back to Yemen?

The answer is no. Mohammad narrated his agony to Oneindia in detail as he finally managed to return to India and spend time with his extremely worried family.

Bombs fell near us:

Mohammad narrates how during the last two weeks he could only hear sounds of bombs and gun fire. We would stand on the balcony of our house and all we witnessed was bombs falling around the place. He says he has been in Yemen for the past five years and was working at a mill. My children were going to school there.

Today, life has changed completely and there is no question of going back. We are aware that the situation may become normal someday, but then the place has become very unpredictable. Aden, a city which we all loved cannot be recognized today.

Life has to move on and we are planning on staying back here. My three children who have seen the worst will never go back to Yemen. We will find a school for them here and they will complete their education in India itself, Mohammad also says.

Gun battle on the streets:

Jose a resident of Tiruvananthapuram says that the scenes on the streets of Aden were like that in a movie. It is a horrific site. The battle got even more fierce as the rebels traded fire with the Saudi- backed army.

We could see soldiers roaming all over the streets. They would exchange gun fire all day. All we could do is sit there and wait for it to stop. However, there were no signs of the battle stopping. We repeatedly called for help and the only thing we wanted to do was step out and return to our country.

We kept in touch with the embassy, which assured us that the Indian government was making arrangements to fly us out of Yemen. However, it was not easy for the government too. The battle was extremely fierce.

They had to wait for the fighting to reduce before rescuing us out of our homes. There was a sense of relief when we reached the aircraft that was waiting to take us back to India. Once inside the plane there was a sense of relief. It was all like one big happy family.

We did not know many on the flight, but exchanged pleasantries only happy to know that we had managed to come out safe. We also said a prayer for all the rest who continue to be stranded in the rest of Yemen and are confident that they will have the same luck as we did.

We are sure the Indian government will rescue all the

Indians from Yemen, Jose also points out.

OneIndia News

Published On April 2, 2015