Navy warships set sail for Yemen in rescue mission - Times of India

MUMBAI: Two Navy warships —INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash—sailed off from Mumbai Naval Dock on Monday night to stay on standby during the rescue of thousands of Indians from the strife-torn Yemen. The warships will either be used for the rescue operation or as an escort force for the merchant vessels that will ferry the passengers.

INS Mumbai is a Delhi-class guided missile destroyer ship and INS Tarkash is a Talwar-class stealth frigate.

Navy officials said the warships will escort the merchant vessels or ferry-evacuated citizens to any nearby gulf of Eden shores, from where they will be flown to India. Apart from the Navy ships, Indian Air Force (IAF) flights and Indian merchant ships will be part of a coordinated operation. Civil aviation too is working on it, said an Indian Navy official.

The civil aviation ministry has sent a 180-seater Air India flight to rescue Indians from Yemen's capital. The flight took off from Delhi for Yemen's capital Sana'a via Muscat. India began flight operations after getting permission to operate flights from Sana'a for three hours a day.

"Civil aviation will be the primary source for the evacuation. If it fails or in case a nod is not issued, then the warships will step in. The warships will wait for the directive from the government, which is completing evacuation formalities," said the official. A Navy source said two IAF C17 Globemaster will also be sent to Djibouti on Tuesday. "The two aircrafts will await approval to operate," said the source.

http://ift.tt/1OSq6OS mission,INS Tarkash,INS Mumbai

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.