Daijiworld Media Network - Aden

Aden (Yemen), Oct 23: All 14 Indian nationals aboard a yacht involved in an incident off the coast of Yemen are safe, the Indian Embassy said on Friday, adding that it would continue efforts to ensure their well-being.

In a statement shared on X, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said, “Reports suggest that all 14 Indian nationals are safe and located around Hodeidah in Yemen. We will continue to work for ensuring their well being.”

Earlier on Friday, the embassy said it was making efforts to gather more details about the incident reported off the Yemeni coast on October 22, involving a yacht that apparently had Indian sailors on board.

“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 embassy said.

On Thursday, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed that their forces had launched a rescue operation after Saudi Arabia allegedly targeted an Indian yacht carrying 14 Indian nationals near Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea.

Citing preliminary information, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Yemeni Armed Forces were rescuing those aboard and would provide further details later.

“The Saudi enemy is targeting an Indian yacht near Zuqar Island, carrying 14 people of Indian nationality, according to preliminary information. The Yemeni Armed Forces are rescuing them and will provide more details later,” Saree had posted on X.

He also alleged that the incident threatened international navigation in the Red Sea and called on the international community to intervene. The circumstances surrounding the incident have not yet been independently established.

The latest development comes amid escalating tensions in the region following an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, in which an Indian national was among two people killed. Two other Indian nationals were also injured, according to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.

India on Thursday strongly condemned the continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including the strikes on King Fahd International Airport and Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield in the Eastern Province on October 21.

“These attacks have unfortunately resulted in civilian deaths and injuries,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The ministry said the Indian Embassy in Riyadh was in contact with Saudi authorities and would provide all possible assistance to affected Indian nationals.

India also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its sovereignty and called for an immediate halt to attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure.

“We also reiterate that the attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately. We stand in solidarity with the people and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its sovereignty, and hope that peace and normalcy would return to the region at the earliest,” the MEA said.