Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- A group of 337 Bangladeshi nationals evacuated from the civil war-ravaged Yemen are expected to be flown in Dhaka on early Sunday, officials said.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam is expected to receive the returnees when two special flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines will arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital Dhaka.

Earlier, the evacuees had reached the Indian seaport of Kochi in Kerala on Saturday afternoon from where they will be airlifted by Biman.

Two Indian ships — MV Corals and MV Karavatti — carried them from Djibouti to the port of Kochi on Saturday afternoon.

The ships carried 484 evacuees, including 73 Indians.

Out of 337 Bangladeshis, 14 are women and 13 children.

With a combined capacity of 1,150 passengers, the two ships set sail from Kochi on March 30 for Djibouti to bring back stranded Indians.

The Bangladesh expatriates were evacuated from the cities of Sana’a, Hodeida and Aden by Indian Naval Ships (INS).

Earlier on April 07, Bangladesh along with 25 countries sought India’s assistance in evacuating their citizens from the strife-torn Arab country. By now, 26 Bangladesh nationals had returned home in two groups on Indian supports.

Meanwhile, another 136 Bangladeshi nationals, including five women and four children, evacuated from Hodeida, Yemen, on Wednesday by an Indian naval ship, arrived safely in Djibouti on Thursday.
Bangladesh Ambassador in Kuwait, stationed in Djibouti, received them at the seaport, said a foreign office statement. They are expected to leave Djibouti for Dhaka on April 20 by Biman’s special flights.

With this a total of about 500 Bangladeshis have been evacuated from Yemen to Djibouti. The ministry of foreign affairs is providing them food, shelter and other logistic support during their stay in Djibouti and making arrangement for their onward journey from Djibouti to Dhaka.

About 2,500 Bangladeshi nationals are living in Yemen. Among them, more 550 have so far registered for coming back from the troubled country.