Cyclone Mekunu: Navy rescues 38 stranded Indians from Socotra island of Yemen
The INS Sunayna is on its way to Porbandar in Gujarat.
The Indian Navy on Sunday rescued 38 Indians from Yemen’s Socotra island more than a week after they were stranded in the Cyclone Mekunu. The INS Sunayna is bringing them back to India, said a Navy spokesperson.
The Navy had on Saturday diverted the ship from the Gulf of Aden to Socotra as part of an operation to rescue the Indians, the spokesperson, Captain DK Sharma, said. The ship rescued them off the coast of Socotra early on Sunday. The operation was code-named “Nistar”.
“The evacuated Indians were embarked on board and immediately provided with medical care, food, water and telephone facilities to call and reassure their families at home,” Sharma said.
The ship is on its way to Porbandar in Gujarat.
Several Indians were reported missing in Oman and Yemen after Cyclone Mekunu made landfall on May 25, officials said.