India probes incident involving 14 Indians off Yemen coast

The Indian Embassy in Yemen on Thursday said it was ascertaining details about an incident involving 14 Indian nationals on board a yacht off the coast of Yemen and would provide all possible help to ensure their safety, amid escalating tensions in the region.

“We have seen reports regarding an incident involving 14 Indian nationals on board a yacht off the coast of Yemen today,” the mission said in a post on X.

“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 added.

Earlier, some Arab media quoted Yemen’s Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree as claiming that Saudi forces targeted the Indian yacht near Yuqar Island near the Yemeni coast in the Red Sea.

Saree said that the yacht is carrying 14 Indian nationals and that Houthi forces are rescuing them. He said more details would be provided later. The hostilities between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia have escalated in recent months, with both sides targeting each other’s facilities and infrastructure.

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