MEA: Indian sailors aboard Rwabee seized by Houthis last month are safe

The seven Indian sailors kidnapped by Yemen's Houthi rebels when they hijacked a UAE-flagged commerce vessel on January 2 are safe, India announced on Thursday, though the captors have not given them access.

The Houthis have taken custody of eleven crew members, including one Indian, after seizing the yacht Rwabee in the Red Sea. The rebels said the ship was carrying "military supplies' ' and had entered Yemeni seas "without authorization" off the coast of Hudaydah. The crew's release has been demanded by both India and the United Arab Emirates.

"Physical access to the crew has not been made accessible, including through the UN mission in Hudaydah," said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs.

"We maintain contact with a variety of sources, including our regional embassies. We do know that on January 28, the kidnappers permitted one of the Indian sailors to speak with his wife. All of the crew members are safe, the sailor assured his wife. "We will continue to keep an eye on this situation," he stated.

The Indian side had already made contact with the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement, or UNMHA, to inquire about the sailors' well-being and to communicate to the Houthis a message that they should be released as soon as possible.

Away from the Rwabee, the Houthis murdered two Indians and injured two more in a drone attack on Abu Dhabi on January 17. The strike appears to have been carried out in retribution for the UAE's participation in the coalition fighting the Houthis.

During a phone discussion with his UAE counterpart, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condemned the "terror act" of January 17.