11 flights to bring back over 2,200 Indians on Sunday: Govt
Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 5 Mar: Arunachali student Gumin Jerang, who had been stranded in war-hit Ukraine, arrived in New Delhi on Saturday morning.
He was received by Arunachal Pradesh state government officials, and is currently staying at the Arunachal Bhavan in Delhi.
Earlier, on 3 March, six stranded Arunachali students had arrived in New Delhi as part of the government’s evacuation mission.
A total of 10 students from the state were stranded in Ukraine, of whom seven have returned to the country till now.
Three more students, namely, Tenzing Doden Mosobi, Kiran Tasung and Sannata Manlong, are yet to return. Of the three, Tasung is reported to be returning to the country via Budapest on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Saturday asked Indian students stranded in the Sumy region of Ukraine to take safety precautions and stay inside shelters and avoid unnecessary risks.
“We are deeply concerned about Indian students in Sumy, Ukraine. Have strongly pressed Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe corridor for our students,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated in a tweet.
According to a PTI report, 11 flights with more than 2,200 Indian evacuees will operate from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to India on Sunday, the civil aviation ministry said.
About 3,000 Indians were airlifted on 15 flights to India on Saturday, the ministry’s statement noted.
“These included 12 special civilian and three Indian Air Force flights,” it added.
The Ukrainian airspace has been shut since 24 February due to the ongoing Russian military offensive against it. Indian citizens who were stuck in Ukraine are being airlifted via its neighbouring countries such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
The IAF is conducting its flights using C-17 military transport planes. The civilian flights are being operated by Indian carriers such as IndiGo, Air India, Vistara and SpiceJet.
“Today’s (Saturday’s) civilian flights included five from Budapest (Hungary), four from Suceva (Romania), one from Kosice (Slovakia) and two from Rzeszow (Poland),” the ministry said.
On Sunday, 11 special flights are expected to operate from Budapest, Kosice, Rzeszow and Bucharest, bringing more than 2,200 Indians back home, it noted.
