India Monday said that seven of its sailors freed from the captivity of Yemen’s Houthi rebels would return home soon.

The Indian sailors were among a total of 14 people taken hostage by the Houthi rebels on January 2 when they seized UAE-flagged merchant vessel Rwabee in the Red Sea.

The sailors reached the Omani capital of Muscat on Sunday, and are “expected to travel back to India shortly”, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

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On Sunday, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi took to Twitter to announce the release of the 14 hostages from the clutches of the rebels in Yemen.

“All of them are now safely in the care of Oman. We are deeply grateful for the noble and humanitarian efforts made by many parties in good faith, not least the Yemeni leadership in Sanaa, to bring this to fruition,” he wrote.

In response, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had tweeted, "Thank you my friend @badralbusaidi for your help and assistance. Look forward to their safe homecoming."

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