272 more Bangladeshis evacuated from Yemen: Indian HC

Bangladesh has so far evacuated 272 Bangladesh nationals, including five women and five children, with the assistance of an Indian ship.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka has confirmed it through social media platform in separate messages.

“The final number of Bangladesh nationals evacuated by INS Sumitra from Al Hudaydah is 272, including five women and five children," the High Commission tweeted early Friday.

Yemen: final no. of BD nationals evacuated by INS Sumitra from Al Hudaydah is 272 including 5 Women and 5 Children.

— India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) April 9, 2015

In another tweet on Thursday night, it wrote, "INS Sumitra, a true friend, has evacuated more than 180 Bangladesh nationals from Al Hudaydah tonight."

The evacuation operation from Yemen is over. General V.K.Singh is returning tonight. We are closing our Embassy there.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 9, 2015

The evacuated Bangladesh nationals are now in Djibouti and they will soon be brought back home.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam said the first batch of the evacuated Bangladesh nationals is likely to return home on Friday.

“We are expecting that the first batch of 11 Bangladeshis will arrive here from Djibouti at 5:00pm today,” he wrote on his official Facebook page.

The State Minister also thanked India for assisting Bangladesh in evacuation process. “I would like to thank the Government of India for rescuing stranded Bangladeshis in Yeamen and our officials who are still in Djibouti.”

On Tuesday, Bangladesh evacuated its 23 nationals with the help of India through air and seaway from war-torn Yemen.

"We've evacuated them in three small groups through two Air India flights and ship from Yemen's capital Sana'a and Al Hudaydah city," Counsellor at the Bangladesh Embassy, Kuwait SM Mahbubul Alam told UNB.

A diplomatic source said some 553 Bangladesh nationals registered their names for coming back home from Yemen.

Earlier, India received requests from 26 countries, including Bangladesh, for the country's assistance in evacuation from Yemen, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

A Bangladesh team from its mission in Kuwait is now in Djibouti and so far communicated with Bangladesh nationals in two cities -- Aden and Sana'a in Yemen.

Bangladeshis will be taken to Djibouti from Aden by ship and then be brought back home by air while Bangladesh nationals staying in Sana'a will be taken to Djibouti by air.

Some 1500-3000 Bangladesh nationals are living in Yemen, and all of them are not interested to come back home, according to Foreign Ministry here.