Govt reinforcing message to Houthis to release 7 Indians on board ship seized by them: MEA

Team Udayavani, Jan 29, 2022, 10:42 AM IST

New Delhi: The seven Indian sailors onboard a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo vessel that was seized by the Houthis off the port of Hodeidah in Yemen are in good health and the government is in touch with multiple sources to reinforce its message to the Houthis that they are released at the earliest, the external affairs ministry said on Friday.

Responding to a question at an online media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that as per the information received from the shipping company based in the UAE as well as from other sources, the seven Indian sailors are safe, in good health, and are being provided regular meals.

However, their captors have not been allowing them to communicate with their families, he said.

The government of India is in touch with multiple sources, including the UN mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement, to enquire about the safety and well-being of the sailors as well as to reinforce its message to the Houthis that they are released at the earliest, Bagchi said.

On the terror attack in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, Bagchi said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his telephonic conversation with his UAE counterpart condemned the terror attack in the strongest terms. Subsequently, the UN Security Council of which India is currently a member, in a press statement, condemned in the strongest terms, the heinous terror attack in Abu Dhabi on January 17, he said. ”We are closely monitoring developments,” Bagchi added.