India investigates report of Indians on yacht near Yemen

Dubai: On Friday, the Indian Embassy in Yemen said it had contacted various parties to “establish circumstances and facts” surrounding an incident off the coast of Yemen, where “apparently there were Indian nationals on board a yacht.” On Thursday, some Arab media outlets quoted Yemen’s Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree as saying that Saudi forces had targeted an Indian yacht near Yuqar Island, close to the Yemeni coast in the Red Sea. Saree claimed the yacht was carrying 14 Indian nationals and said Houthi forces were rescuing them. He added that more details would be shared later.

“We are continuing to make efforts to find more details about the incident off the coast of Yemen on October 22 in which apparently there were Indian nationals on board a yacht,” the Indian mission said in a social media post on Friday. The incident comes as tensions between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia continue to rise, with both sides attacking each other’s facilities and infrastructure. “Given the prevailing conflict situation, exact information is not currently available.

We have reached out to different parties to establish circumstances and facts of the incident and hope to update as soon as authentic information becomes available,” the mission said. On Thursday, the Indian Embassy had said it was gathering details about the incident involving 14 Indian nationals aboard a yacht off the coast of Yemen and would extend all possible assistance to ensure their safety. “We are ascertaining further details about the incident and will provide all possible help for ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian nationals,” it posted on social media.

Meanwhile, an Indian national was killed and three others were injured in two separate attacks on a major airport and an oil field in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.