India accedes request to help evacuate Lankans from Yemen

India has acceded to Sri Lanka's request to evacuate stranded Sri Lankans along with Indian nationals from strife-torn Yemen, the Indian media reports quoting a Foreign Ministry statement said.

There are reportedly around 75-100 Sri Lankan expatriates, including students, in Yemen. Due to the volatile situation in the country, Sri Lanka is making arrangements to evacuate all Sri Lankans in Yemen, who are principally residing in the capital Sanaa and other main cities, such as Hodeida, Aden and Mukalla.

"The Government of Sri Lanka has sought the assistance of the UN Office in Sanaa and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Colombo in the evacuation efforts," the Indian Foreign Ministry said in statement yesterday.

"The Indian Government has promptly acceded to the request of the Government of Sri Lanka to bring the stranded Sri Lankans along with Indian nationals in Yemen, who are to be evacuated by air and sea on special flights and ships respectively," it said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Muscat, which is concurrently accredited to Yemen, is exploring all possible avenues to ensure the safe return of the Sri Lankans, the statement said.