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"We are being bombarded, please save us", says stranded Indian sailor in war-torn Yemen

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New Delhi, Sep 14: At time when India is assuring to ensure safe evacuation of 70 Gujarati sailors, stranded in the war-torn Yemen, a sailor has claimed that their vessel is being bombarded.

In an audio message, on of the stranded sailors has spoken of very tough situation there as "no help has reached" them and they are being bombarded with warplanes. The sailor, identified as Sikandar from Mandavi village, sent an audio message in which he said that they came under a bomb attack on Saturday night.

Stranded sailors being bombed in Yemen

"I am an Indian. My name is Sikandar. We are at Khokha port. They have lobbed three rockets and we somehow managed to save ourselves. We are running here and there to save ourselves," Sikandar says in the message.

"We are 70 Indians stranded here along with five ships. They have been bombarding us with warplanes. Please help us. We are Indians. We are in great difficulty. They will kill us. Please save us," he said.

Meanwhile, India said it is taking steps to ensure safe evacuation of its nationals from Yemen.

[Injured Indians undergoing treatment at hospital in Yemen]

"Our Mission in Yemen (Camp Office in Djibouti) is aware of the situation and taking steps to ensure safe evacuation of Indians," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in Delhi when asked about the action being taken to rescue the Indians.

Nearly 70 seamen from the coastal village of Mandavi in Kutch and from Jodiya and Salaya villages of Jamnagar were stuck for over 15 days now at Khokha port in Yemen where they had gone to deliver cargo in five boats, a sailors group said in Gujarat and appealed to the government to rescue them.

It came days after six Indians, most of them from Gujarat, were killed when their boat came under Saudi-led air strikes in the Arab country.

"About 70 Gujarati sailors along with five vessels are stranded in Yemen for around 15 days and they now need the government's help for their rescue," Vahanvatta Association of Kutch and Mandavi president Haji Juneja told PTI.

"I yesterday wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs urging them to save our sailors or shift them to a safer place," he said.

"The sailors are in a pitiable condition as some forces have been bombarding them. They escaped death last night when some force, either of the insurgents or the Saudi coalition, began an attack with rocket launchers," he said.

Yemen has been facing a civil war-like situation with Shiite rebels clashing with pro-government forces. United Nations estimates that more than 4,500 people have been killed in the conflict since March.

The External Affairs Ministry had said on Friday that six Indians were killed after their boat came under Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen on September 8.

The deceased were among seven Indian nationals who were initially reported missing when two boats, 'Mustafa' and 'Asmar' carrying a total of 21 Indian nationals came under aerial attack.

The ministry had said that of the remaining 15 Indians, 14 were safe in Hodeidah while one person was still missing.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from agencies)

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