20,000 Indians have left Ukraine, about 3,000 nonetheless stranded: MEA

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Around 20,000 Indians have left Ukraine. The two areas the place there’s a comparatively larger focus of Indians is Sumy and Kharkiv.

“There are over 700 Indians in Sumy. It’s a conflict zone and there is heavy shelling. We are restricted in our evacuation process. We are exploring all options. Westward evacuation through the Russian border is an option too, but since it is around 60 km away and in a conflict zone, we can’t risk the lives of our people,” mentioned international ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

MEA hopes for a ceasefire round Sumy as then it might be protected to evacuate Indians caught there.

In Kharkiv, there are roughly 300 Indians and evacuation efforts are challenged there too as a consequence of shelling. 

In Pesochin, Indian college students left the place on Thursday by means of 5 buses that the Indian authorities had organized for them. “We are exploring all options of buses, trains whatever we can manage for our people. The role of student coordinators has been tremendous in this entire evacuation process and we will continue our efforts till the last Indian is out,” Bagchi added.

ALSO READ | IMA urges PM to accommodate Ukraine-returned medical college students in Indian schools

The Indian authorities has been in a position to convey 20,000 Indians out of Ukraine. Since the evacuation course of started almost 48 flights have been used to convey them again to India. Around 16 flights are scheduled to convey again these within the bordering international locations of Ukraine – which embody 4 Indian Air Force C17 plane – on Saturday. Around 10,500 Indians have returned to India.

The majority of Indians who’re out of the Ukrainian border could be again in India by Saturday.

There are roughly 2000 to 3000 extra Indians left in Ukraine. These figures are larger than the sooner projections of 20,000 as many clearly wouldn’t have registered with the embassy.

Meanwhile, the Indian authorities has been getting requests from college students of different nationalities like Bangladesh and Nepal for evacuation they usually have mentioned they might do the needful.
“One Bangladeshi student has flown in with us,” Bagchi mentioned.

Once most Indians are out of Ukraine, the federal government may discover the potential of placing the few who’re left behind on industrial flights and bear the bills.