ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday confirmed that 24 Pakistani crew members of an LPG tanker targeted by an Israeli drone off Yemen’s coast have been released by Houthi forces, calling it a breakthrough secured “when hope was fading.”

The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier caught fire on September 17 after being struck while docked at Ras Al-Esa port, under Houthi control. “An LPG tanker with 27 crew members (24 Pakistanis, including Captain Mukhtar Akbar; two Sri Lankans; and one Nepali) was attacked by an Israeli drone,” Naqvi wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“One LPG tank exploded, and the crew managed to extinguish the fire. The vessel was subsequently stopped by Houthi boats, and the crew were held hostage aboard the ship.”

Naqvi said the tanker and its multinational crew had now been released and were “out of Yemeni waters.” He praised Pakistani officials in Saudi Arabia and Oman for negotiating their safe passage.

The foreign office also confirmed the incident, saying Pakistan’s embassies in the region had been in constant contact with Yemeni authorities and with the families of the Pakistani crew.

“Efforts were made to set the tanker underway again,” spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said. “Today, the LPG tanker has departed port and is making way out of Yemeni waters. The entire crew, including Pakistani nationals, is safe and sound.”

Local media had earlier reported the Pakistanis were “stranded” following the fire, which left the ship immobilized at port for several days.

The episode adds to instability in the Red Sea region, where attacks and blockades have frequently disrupted energy shipments. Yemen itself is not a major exporter of LPG, but imports remain vital for households in the conflict-hit country.

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Islamabad says 24 Pakistanis freed after Israeli drone strike on LPG tanker in Yemen