New Delhi:
India has said all its 14,000 nationals in Yemen are safe but issued an advisory asking the citizens to avoid non-essential travel to that country which is witnessing anti-government protests for the past one week reportedly killing 12 people and wounding dozens.
"The Embassy of India in Sanaa has set up a 24-hour helpline which can be accessed for information or assistance. There are around 14,000 Indians in Yemen who are reported to be safe. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Sanaa are following the developments closely," official Spokesperson of the MEA said in New Delhi.
He also said Indian nationals are advised to avoid non-essential travel to Yemen for the present.
Protests have become increasingly violent in poverty-stricken Yemen despite calls by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was elected to a seven-year-term in September 2006, urging dialogue to form a government of national unity.