Indian warships sent to Yemen to provide anti-piracy services

New Delhi, March 31: The two Indian warships sent to strife-torn Yemen to evacuate Indians will also provide anti-piracy escort services to the two passenger ships sent to Djibouti Port to bring back stranded nationals, Vice Chief of the Navy P Murugesan said today.

Giving details of the evacuation plan, Vice Admiral Murugesan, who today took over as the Vice Chief, said the evacuation is being worked out through the sea and air routes [Yemen: India to use sea routes to evacuate nationals; MoS to go to Djibouti]

"Several agencies like Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Air India are going to participate in this operation," he said speaking to reporters here. The Navy has dispatched its destroyer INS Mumbai and stealth frigate INS Tarkash for evacuation of Indians besides two passenger ships from Cochin.

"The Indian naval ships will go and evacuate the persons as well as provide anti-piracy escort duties to the various assets deployed for the operation," Murugesan said. Both Naval ships are capable of carrying people back to India. While INS Mumbai has a crew of about 350, INS Tarkash has a crew of about 250.

Evacuation is being worked out through the sea and air routes

All facilities will be extended to the stranded Indians. Meanwhile, asked about the recent crash of a Naval maritime surveillance aircraft, which claimed two lives, Murugesan said the Dornier was on a live combat mission training.

"It was a pitch dark night, just one or two days after the new moon and it was a training exercises on the possible war scenarios.

"While training in challenging situations, we are after all human beings, certain the machinery also may fail," he said. However, the Vice Chief said a Board of Inquiry is one and "only after its report is out, we would be able to know the exact reason behind the crash".

PTI