Staff Reporter :
A total of 337 Bangladeshi nationals, who trapped in war-torn Yemen, returned home from Kerala, India early Sunday.
Two special fights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Bangladeshis, including 14 women and 13 children, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 4:30am and 5:15am respectively.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam received them at the airport, foreign office sources said.
The Bangladeshis, who were evacuated from Yemen, brought to the south Indian port city of Kochi by two ships from Djibouti on Saturday.
Two warships of the Indian Navy escorted the ships — MV Kavaratti and MV Corals — carrying the Bangladeshis.
Earlier, the 337 Bangladeshis reached Djibouti from Yemen on April 5 and departed from the African country on April 12.
Apart from the Bangladeshis, 65 Yemenis of Indian origin were in the two ships.
India had launched a massive air and sea evacuation operation late last month to bring back its nationals stranded in Yemen.
The country positively responded to Bangladesh’s request to help it bring home the Bangladeshis stranded in the Middle Eastern country.
So far, a total of 500 Bangladeshis have been relocated to the African country, Djibouti, from Yemen since April 3.
As India wrapped up its evacuation operation, Bangladesh plans to repatriate the remaining Bangladeshis from Djibouti by a special Biman flight.
Earlier, 26 expatriates returned home from Yemen.
