'Indian sailors on vessel seized by Houthis safe & govt working for their release', assures MEA
The government is also in touch with multiple sources to reinforce its message to the Houthis that they are released at the earliest, MEA said.
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New Delhi, Jan 29: The seven Indian sailors on board a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo vessel that was seized by the Houthis off the port of Hodeidah in Yemen are in good health. The government is also in touch with multiple sources to reinforce its message to the Houthis that they are released at the earliest, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Responding to a question at an online media briefing, MEA 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 allowed 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 be released at the earliest, Bagchi said.
On the terror attack in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, Bagchi said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condemned the attack in the strongest terms in a telephonic conversation with his UAE counterpart.
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 on January 17, he said. “We are closely monitoring developments,” Bagchi added.