TIKA R PRADHAN

Nine Nepalis working in two Yemen cities have been rescued, while nine others are still trapped in Yemen capital Sanaa.

According to Nepali ambassador to Saudi Arabia Uday Raj Pandey, who is concurrently accredited to Yemen, seven Nepalis working in Aden and two in Al Hudaydah were ferried out of Yemen to Djibouti Republic of Africa today, along with Indian nationals.

He said the Nepali government had requested the Indian government through Indian embassy in Sanaa to rescue Nepalis living in Yemen.

“We sent the names, passport details and mobile numbers to the Indian embassies in Riyadh and Sanaa. With those details they have ferried Nepali nationals out of Yemen,” he said.

However, Ambassador Pandey said nine Nepalis working in Sanaa could not be rescued because of the damage to the airport in Sanaa. Pandey said they were in telephonic contact with the Nepali embassy. He said they all were safe and would be flown out of Sanaa as soon as the airport was ready. Sanaa airport’s runway and radar were damaged in the conflict.

Ambassador Pandey said since the repair work was ongoing Nepalis trapped there could be rescued soon. He, however, did not say how long it could take to rescue them.

He said they have been advised to get boarding passed from the Indian embassy and stay at any of the hotels near the airport and wait till the airport became operational. He added that the Nepali embassy, in coordination with the Indian embassy, has been working on an alternative plan as well to rescue them.

“Soon Nepalis will be rescued along with Indian nationals,” he said.

“We are also in touch with Nepalis who have reached Djibouti,” he said. The nine Nepalis in Djibouti will either fly to New Delhi, along with Indian nationals, or come to Kathmandu directly.

Asked whether there could be more Nepalis living in Yemen, Ambassador Pandey said, “As far as we know, only 18 Nepalis are in Yemen but embassy is trying to find out if more Nepalis had reached Yemen using different channels,” he said.

Published on: 3 April 2015 | The Himalayan Times