38 Stranded Indians Rescued From Yemen Island Hit by Cyclone Mekenu

The Indian Navy on June 3 rescued 38 Indians who were stranded on Soctora island in Yemen for nearly 10 days after the cyclonic storm Mekenu hit the area. The Mekenu storm left a trail of devastation in the area, with at least 20 dead on the island, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The Indian Navy diverted INS Sunayana from the Gulf of Aden as part of “Operation NISTAR,” where the stranded Indians were rescued early on June 3, Navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma said in a statement.

#HADR Evacuation of 38 Indian seafarers off Socotra #OpNistar by INS Sunayna 3/4 pic.twitter.com/IZ4qE2dFrm

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) June 3, 2018

Adding that all Indians were safe, Sharma said: “The operation, code-named ‘NISTAR’, was carried out on the morning of June 3 off the coast of Socotra. 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.”

Also damaged in the storm were three Indian dhows (vessel) at Socotra, which suffered damages/sank alongside in the harbor. “Another Dhow, MSV Safina Al Khijar with 12 Indians on board is reported to be missing,” the Navy spokesperson said.

The Navy ran two aerial sorties on May 28 and 29 to search for the missing Indians.

Apart from the 20 people killed in Soctora, another four were found dead in Yemen’s al-Mahrah governorate. Six people were killed in Oman, including three Indians. Many people are still reported to be missing.

#HADR Evacuation of 38 Indian seafarers off Socotra #OpNistar by INS Sunayna 4/4 pic.twitter.com/83Ofk9bKN8

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) June 3, 2018

The India Navy had pressed two ships – INS Deepak and INS Kochi – from Mumbai as the first responders to the crisis in Salalah, Oman, when the cyclone hit the country after crossing Yemen, News Minute had earlier reported. Salalah is home to about 80,000 Indians.

The ship, which undertook the operation after the Navy received a distress call from the Directorate General of Shipping and the Indian Sailing Vessels Association, is now heading towards the port of Porbandar in Gujarat.

The cyclonic storm Mekenu, which has led to a total death toll of 30 people so far, made landfall on the Arabian Peninsula early on May 26, resulting in flash floods and other infrastructural damage. The cyclone, classified as category two storm, packed maximum sustained winds of 170-180 km per hour, with gusts of up to 200 km per hour. Mekenu, a Maldivian name, was given to the storm because it originated northwest of the archipelago.