The Indian Navy on Sunday, 3 June, evacuated 38 stranded Indians from Socotra island in Yemen where they got stuck after cyclone Mekenu hit the area in the last week of May, forcing India to launch an operation to rescue them.
The Navy evacuated the Indians as part of operation 'NISTAR' carried out off the coast of Socotra early on 3 June and embarked them at Indian Naval ship INS Sunayna to bring them back to India, a Navy spokesperson said.
Severe cyclonic storm Mekenu crossed the Yemeni Island of Socotra on 24 May, leaving 38 Indians stranded on the island with limited food and water.
The Navy deployed INS Sunayna in Western Arabian Sea for the humanitarian and disaster relief operation just after it received a distress call from the Directorate General of Shipping and the Indian Sailing Vessels Association.
"We got information that three Indian Dhows – a lateen rigged ship with one or two masts – at Socotra suffered damages and sank alongside in the harbour after the cyclone hit the area," said the official.
"As we got the inputs about another Dhow, MSV Safina Al Khijar, with 12 Indians on board missing, the Indian Navy undertook two aerial sorties on 27 May and 28 May to search for the missing Indians," he added.
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