Wire reporting: (Reuters, via Daily Maverick)

India's embassy in Yemen said Friday that reports indicate all 14 Indian nationals aboard a yacht involved in an incident off Yemen's coast are safe, while it continued efforts to confirm what happened¹.

The mission said the nationals were located around Hodeidah and that it would keep working to ensure their well-being, according to a Reuters report carried by Daily Maverick¹.

Earlier Friday, the embassy said it was still trying to establish the circumstances of an Oct. 22 incident in which Indian sailors were apparently aboard a yacht, and that exact information was not available given the conflict².

Arab media quoted Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree as saying Saudi forces targeted the yacht near Yuqar Island in the Red Sea and that Houthi forces were rescuing the 14 Indians². Daily Maverick's Reuters copy placed the claimed attack off Jabal Zuqar island near the Bab el-Mandeb strait and said the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia¹.

Saudi authorities had not responded to a request for comment as of the Reuters report Thursday, Daily Maverick said¹.

The embassy said Thursday it was ascertaining details and would provide help for the Indians' safety². India's foreign ministry on Thursday condemned attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, calling them unacceptable, according to the Reuters copy¹.

The Hindu noted the episode amid wider fighting between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with both sides targeting infrastructure, and that an Indian national was killed and three others injured in attacks in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 21².

Sources

1. (Reuters, via Daily Maverick)All 14 Indians in yacht incident off Yemen coast reported safe, embassy saysAlso (Reuters, via The Hindu)Oct 23, 7:11 AM
2. ReutersAll 14 Indians in yacht incident off Yemen coast reported safe, embassy saysOct 23, 4:35 AM

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