NEW DELHI: Nine Indian nationals who were held captive in Libya for several months have been freed and will return to India soon.
"These nine Indian nationals have reached Tripoli where they were received by the Indian Ambassador in Tunisia. They have been put up in hotels while their exit visa formalities are being completed. Once that is done they would be flown back to India,’’ say sources.
These nine Indians were working for a merchant vessel (MT Maya 1) owned by a Greek company and were carrying a flag of Cameroon and were held captive by Libyan local militia after the ship broke down in the middle of February.
They were sailing from Malta to Tripoli carrying oil products when the ship broke down.
Of these nine Indians, five are from Uttar Pradesh, and one each from Rajasthan, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.
The news of their being held captive reached Indian Embassy in Tunisia after which the matter was raised with authorities in Libya and sought consular access and their repatriation. The Indian mission kept in touch with the family members of these nine Indians and shared regular updates with them about their well-being.
An informal contact of the mission met these Indians held captive every week to ensure their early release and also provided them with essential food.