160 more leave Yemen on Indian ship

One hundred and sixty Bangladeshis boarded an Indian ship in Al Hudaydah city of strife-torn Yemen yesterday to take temporary shelter in Djibouti before heading home.

SM Mahbubul Alam, counsellor at the Bangladesh high commission in Kuwait, also said thirteen Bangladeshis who were already in the African country are set to reach home early today.

Two flights of Fly Dubai and Turkish Airlines left Djibouti with the 13 on board around 5:00pm local time, he told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday.

Ten more Bangladeshis may land in Dhaka today on another flight, he added. A total of 32 Bangladeshis were evacuated from Yemen to the African country recently.

Meanwhile, around 50 to 60 other Bangladeshis were still waiting at the Aden seaport yesterday to embark on a ship to go to Djibouti. They had gone there hearing that an Indian ship would take them to Djibouti.

One of them, Emdad Hossain, yesterday told private television channel Jamuna that the ship was yet to reach the port.

Mahbubul said the Bangladeshis would board another Indian ship by tomorrow.

The counsellor is now staying in Djibouti with a team of Bangladesh missions from Kuwait and Turkey to oversee the evacuation of the Bangladeshis.

According to the foreign ministry, there are some 1,500 to 3,000 Bangladeshis in Yemen.

The Middle Eastern country has been in turmoil for months since the rebels took over the capital, Sanaa, after bursting out of their northern stronghold, according to international media.

Meanwhile, Indian high commission in Dhaka tweeted last night: “INS Sumitra, a true friend: has evacuated more than 180 BD nationals from Al Hudaydah tonight [Thursday]. Will reach Djibouti tomorrow morning.”