The bodies of the two Indians who were killed in a suspected drone strike in Abu Dhabi on January 17 will reach India tomorrow. at All the formalities have been completed, and the bodies will be brought to Amritsar on Friday. Indian Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir tweeted on Thursday evening that the embassy in Abu Dhabi "completed all formalities for repatriation of mortal remains of 2 Indians deceased in Jan 17 incident". He said, "Remains reach Amritsar tomorrow morning. Highly appreciate the fullest support extended by Govt of UAE & @AdnocGroup. Tied up with Punjab Govt for local support." The government has not disclosed the identities of the two victims. A total of three people had died in the incident, of which two were Indian and one was a Pakistani national. Six more people had been injured, of which two were also Indians. The attack, for which UAE has blamed the Yemen-based Houthi group, has been called “unacceptable” by India. UAE’s foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan had called India’s External Affairs Minster S Jaishankar on Tuesday and “conveyed the deepest condolences of the UAE Government on the death of two Indians” and had also “assured that the UAE Government would extend the fullest support to the families of the deceased”. Jaishankar had “condemned the terror attack in the strongest terms” and “emphasised that in this day and age, such an attack on innocent civilians was completely unacceptable and against all civilised norms”. Jaishankar had “appreciated the immediate assistance provided by UAE authorities to the Embassy in responding to this tragic situation,” the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement. Jaishankar had also conveyed “India’s strong solidarity with UAE in the face of such an attack” and said given India’s “principled position against terrorism, India will stand with UAE in international forums on this issue”. Abu Dabhi police had found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at the sites of the explosions. In a statement on the day of the attack, which took place at a facility of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, UAE had blamed the Houthi militia for “targeting of civilian areas and facilities on UAE soil” and said that those responsible “will be held accountable”. A Houthi group spokesperson had claimed responsibility for the attack. Indians are the largest ethnic group in the UAE, with an expatriate community of around 3.5 million. Indians account for nearly 30 per cent of the country’s population, and approximately 15 per cent of the diaspora is in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, according to the Indian Embassy in UAE. Yemen's Houthi group has taken responsibility for several attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities in the past. The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen fighting Houthi rebels.
