Terrified: Miriam, 11 (left), and Ayesha, nine (right), are currently living in fear in their basement . A terrified British family who are stuck in a basement in war-torn Yemen have launched a desperate appeal to be evacuated to the UK. Louise Henderson Alakil, 49, moved to the Middle Eastern country 27 years ago and worked as a teacher at the International School in the capital Sanaa until recent fighting forced it to close. She is now hiding in a shelter below her family home on the outskirts of the city with her youngest children, Miriam, 11, and Ayesha, nine, amid heavy shelling and while bombs fall all around them. Britons have been advised to book commercial flights out the country, but Mrs Henderson and her children's passports have expired and the UK authorities in Yemen are closed. They have posted applications to the UK but fear they will not return, and are terrified of dodging fighting to get to the UK embassy in Sudan for emergency documents. It comes after Houthi militias, aligned with Iran, began taking control of territory in Yemen, including the country's capital in September. In response, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition started launching airstrikes in late March. More than 1,000 people have been killed in the fighting in the past month, prompting thousands to flee their homes and hospitals and schools have been hit by shelling. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has suspended embassy operations in the region and urged British nationals to leave by commercial means. Mrs Henderson, a mother-of-six formerly of Linlithgow, West Lothian, has now launched an urgent plea for assistance to get out of the warzone and back to the UK. Speaking from the UK, Mrs Henderson's sister, Heather, 51, said: 'We are trying to get them out of the country. It's an absolute mess. It's just a shambles. 'We are at our wits end trying to get my sister and her two young girls to a place of safety. 'They could have got a flight just after the bombing campaign started but the flights which managed to leave were forced to run the gauntlet of surface-to-air missiles.'. Trapped: Louise Henderson Alakil, 49, moved to the Middle Eastern country 27 years ago and worked as a teacher at the International School in the capital Sanaa until recent fighting forced it to close . Warzone: An armed militiaman loyal to Yemen's fugitive President Abderabbo Mansour Hadi holds his position during clashes with Houthi rebels in the port city of Aden this morning . Mrs Henderson father, Bill, a 77-year-old painter, said: 'We are concerned for their safety...During the bombing they were forced to run into the basement and hide under the snooker table. 'I know the kids are very frightened. It makes us feel dreadful. The big problem at the moment is the uncertainty,' he added. 'There is a shortage of basic things like water and gas for cooking and even food supplies. The money is another big problem, because all the banks are shut, he went on to say. Mr Henderson said he and his family are worried and hoping for the best, but currently do not know what the outcome is going to be. 'It's been stressful to say the least. We've been working very hard to help out in any way we can... We don't know what the Saudis are going to do. They could bomb Sana'a tonight,' he said. 'Our talks with the authorities have been unsatisfactory and we've tried everything and nobody seems particularly interested.' Dangerous place: Houthi militias, aligned with Iran, began taking control of territory in Yemen in September . Frontline: More than 1,000 people have been killed in the fighting over the past month, prompting thousands to flee their homes as hospitals and schools are hit by shelling . Mrs Henderson has been living in the country for the past 27 years after marrying husband Wahab, an engineer who is in his mid-50s. He is sheltering with her. She worked as a teacher at the International School in the capital city of Sana'a until the troubles forced the facility to close over safety fears. The family are facing a number of problems in their fight to leave the country, as Louise and her children's passports have expired and the UK authorities are closed. Documents have now been posted to the UK for renewal which could take three weeks. And it is not clear whether they would receive them if they were posted back. Mrs Henderson and her daughters are now considering making their way to the UK embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, where they could get emergency documents. But getting there is dangerous as planes have been forced to run the gauntlet of surface-to-air missiles. Clashes: The International Organization for Migration took the decision to temporarily suspend its evacuation from Yemen, due to difficulties faced in operating flights out of the city . Battleground: Armed militiamen loyal to Yemen's fugitive President Abderabbo Mansour Hadi duck from sniper-fire as they run during clashes with Houthi rebels in the port city of Aden this morning . Mr Henderson added: 'Getting out of Yemen is dangerous because they are firing at the planes on their way out. And the last thing we want is for them to get out and become stuck in another country... The FCO in London have been completely useless.' The International Organization for Migration took the decision to temporarily suspend its evacuation of third country nationals from Yemen, due to difficulties faced in operating flights out of the city. And despite requests made to facilitate such movements, IOM continues to experience challenges in getting people out of Yemen. The FCO could help if Louise and her children managed to get to a British emabassy or consulate where they could be supplied with emergency documents. A spokesman for the FCO said: 'Our Embassy's operations have been temporarily suspended. Our longstanding and consistent message to British Nationals has been to leave the country. 'British Nationals who remain in Yemen should leave immediately by commercial means. The British government will not be able to evacuate British nationals who remain in Yemen against this advice.'
Louise Henderson, 49, moved to Yemen 27 years ago to work as a teacher . Her family are now caught up in fighting in the country's capital, Sanaa . She is currently hiding  below her home with her two young daughters . Miriam, 11, and Ayesha, nine, have pleaded for the bombing to stop and for their family to be evacuated to the UK .