Dhaka: Eleven Bangladeshis returned home from Yemen via Djibouti on Friday afternoon, says a UNB report.

So far a total of 304 Bangladeshis, including women and children, have been evacuated from the strife-torn Arab country.

Of the evacuated Bangladeshis, 272 were rescued by Indian Naval Ship (INS) while 20 by Air India from Yemen capital Sana’a, according Foreign Ministry in Dhaka. The rest were evacuated by their Bangladeshi compatriots.

With the return of 11 Bangladeshi home, the rest are currently staying in Djibouti under the arrangement made by the Foreign Ministry.

The ministry on Friday confirmed the arrival of 11 Bangladeshis, including eight women and children, to the country.

They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5:30 pm Friday from Djibouti by Emirates flight, said an official at the External Publicity wing of the ministry.

Additional foreign secretary Mizanur Rahman,along with other officials from the ministry, received them at the airport.

The Foreign Ministry has set up a ‘Repatriation Control Room’ in Djibouti, led by Bangladesh Ambassador in Kuwait, to conduct the repatriation process.

It is expected that more Bangladeshis will be evacuated from Yemen to Djibouti for being brought to back Bangladesh soon.

The whole repatriation operation is being carried out under the direct supervision of the Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.

The ministry will keep everyone informed about the repatriation process.

Indian High Commission in Dhaka also confirmed it through social media platform in separate messages.

“The final number of Bangladesh nationals evacuated by INS Sumitra from Al Hudaydah is 272, including five women and five children,” the High Commission tweeted early Friday.

In another tweet on Thursday night, it wrote, “INS Sumitra, a true friend, has evacuated more than 180 Bangladesh nationals from Al Hudaydah tonight.”

The evacuated Bangladesh nationals are now in Djibouti and they will soon be brought back home.

Earlier, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam said the first batch of the evacuated Bangladesh nationals is likely to return home on Friday.

“We are expecting that the first batch of 11 Bangladeshis will arrive here from Djibouti at 5pm today,” he wrote on his official Facebook page.

The State Minister also thanked India for assisting Bangladesh in evacuation process. “I would like to thank the Government of India for rescuing stranded Bangladeshis in Yemen and our officials who are still in Djibouti.”

On Tuesday, Bangladesh evacuated its 23 nationals with the help of India through air and seaway from war-torn Yemen.

“We’ve evacuated them in three small groups through two Air India flights and ship from Yemen’s capital Sana’a and Al Hudaydah city,” Counsellor at the Bangladesh Embassy, Kuwait SM Mahbubul Alam told UNB.

A diplomatic source said some 553 Bangladesh nationals registered their names for coming back home from Yemen.

Earlier, India received requests from 26 countries, including Bangladesh, for the country’s assistance in evacuation from Yemen, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

A Bangladesh team from its mission in Kuwait is now in Djibouti and so far communicated with Bangladesh nationals in two cities—Aden and Sana’a in Yemen.

Bangladeshis will be taken to Djibouti from Aden by ship and then be brought back home by air while Bangladesh nationals staying in Sana’a will be taken to Djibouti by air.

Some 1500-3000 Bangladesh nationals are living in Yemen, and all of them are not interested to come back home, according to Foreign Ministry here.