Indian sailors freed by Houthi rebels to return home soon: Govt

The Indian sailors have reached the Omani capital of Muscat on Sunday and are expected to travel back to India shortly, the government said.

NEW DELHI: The seven Indian sailors freed from the captivity of Yemen’s Houthi rebels are expected to travel back to India soon, the government said on Monday.

Seven Indian sailors were taken captive when the Houthi rebels seized the UAE-flagged merchant vessel Rwabee in the Red Sea on January 2. (Houthi Media Office via REUTERS)

The sailors were taken captive when the Houthi rebels seized the UAE-flagged merchant vessel Rwabee in the Red Sea on January 2.

Announcing the release of the sailors, the external affairs ministry said in a statement that the sailors had reached the Omani capital of Muscat on Sunday and are “expected to travel back to India shortly”.

On Sunday, Oman’s foreign minister Badr Albusaidi had said on Twitter that the captain and the crew of the Rwabee had been “released from custody in Yemen”.

“All of them are now safely in the care of Oman. We are deeply grateful for the noble and humanitarian efforts made by many parties in good faith, not least the Yemeni leadership in Sanaa, to bring this to fruition,” he said in his tweet.

The external affairs ministry said the Indian government had been “exerting all efforts for the release of the Indian crew members over the past months”. The government was in touch with various parties to ensure the safety and well-being of the sailors and the issue was also taken up by the Indian delegation at the UN Security Council.

Besides the seizure of the Rwabee, two Indians were killed and two more injured in a drone attack by the Houthis on Abu Dhabi on January 17. The attack was carried out in apparent retaliation for the UAE’s role in the coalition fighting the Houthis.