Ten Gujarati sailors whose wooden vessels were bombed off Mokha port in troubled Yemen two weeks ago, flew out of Djibouti on Thursday and were expected to land at Ahmedabad airport later in the evening. However, their four fellow seamen stayed back in Djibouti to continue treatment of burns they had sustained in the bombing. “After boarding a flight from Djibouti, they have landed in Nairobi city of Kenya. From Kenya, they are scheduled to fly to Mumbai and from Mumbai onward to Ahmedabad. Their flight is expected to land in Ahmedabad at 10:30 pm on Thursday,” Isha Thain, father-in-law of Al Ashmar owner Fatima Thain told The Indian Express. [related-post] Al Ashmar, wooden craft registered at Mandavi port in Kutch, was bombed during an air strike led by Saudi Arabia off Khokha port of Yemen on September 8. The bombing had left three of the 11 crew members of the vessel, including its captain Zulfikar Bhatti, dead while injuring one. One of the sailors of the boat, Imran Shabadiya is missing since the vessel came under the attack while seven had survived.Al Mustafa, a Dubai-registered vessel but having Gujarati crew was also bombed during the same strike and three of its 10 crew members were killed. “Irfan Shiru has sustained burns in the air raid and Indian officials in Djibouti advised that his treatment should continue in Djibouti hospital. Therefore he is not on the flight. Moreover, fellow seaman Akabar Juneja has also stayed back in Djibouti to be at Shiru’s bedside,” Thain further said. Al Ashamar was destroyed in the bombing when it was approaching the Mokha port to deliver cargo from East African country Somalia across the Red Sea. Besides captain Zulfikar, Sidik Bhatti and Yunus Zuneja killed in the attack. Its survivors Mohsin Bhatti, Imtiaz Thain, Irfan Panjari, Sultan Luhar and Anwar Thain will return home with the help of officers of Indian consulate in Djibouti and owner of Al Ashmar. Similarly, Al Mustafa sailors Mamad Sanghar, Suleman Sandhi-Bhatti, Ravi Duttani, Javid Chamadia, captain Abubakar and two other sailors had survived while Valimamad Chamadia, Asgar Sanghar and Imran Bhatti were killed. While Imran, Abubakar and one more sailors are residents of Sikka village in Jamnagar. One seaman from Salaya Salaya town in Devbhoomi-Dwarka district was also on board Al Mustafa while the rest, including those killed, are from Bharana village of Khambhaliya taluka of Devbhoomi-Dwarka. “My son conveyed to me late Wednesday night that their air tickets have been booked and that boat owner has also made arrangement for his road travel from Ahmedabad to Jamnagar,” Ravi’s father Vijay Duttani said. However, only five of the Al Mustafa survivors will come home on Thursday. Javid Chamadia was injured in the bombing and he is undergoing treatment in Djibouti and a fellow sailor had stayed back to be at his bedside, sources in Bharana said. The 14 Gujarati sailors had been shifted to Al Hudaydah city of Yemen after the attack. But Indian officials in Djibouti rescued them Monday and brought them to Djibouti from Yemen through a boat.
