A flight carrying Indian students landed safely in the national capital late on Friday night after Iran opened its airspace for India. In a special gesture, Iran opened the airspace for three flights to evacuate about 1,000 Indians, mostly students from the Iranian city of Mashad.
It should be noted that the Iranian airspace is closed to most international flights amid ongoing missile exchanges and drone attacks between Israeli and Iranian forces. In the meantime, India has been granted an exclusive corridor to carry out the evacuation of its students from the war-torn country.
More than 4,000 Indian nationals are living in Iran and half of them are students.
India launches 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate nationals from Iran
India on Wednesday announced launching 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as the Persian Gulf nation's conflict with Israel showed no sign of letting up. Moreover, the Iranian embassy officials in Delhi said the Iranian foreign ministry was in close touch with the Indian mission in Tehran after some students were injured.
"India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
The MEA added that the Indian embassy in Tehran has evacuated 110 Indian students from northern Iran, assisting them in safely crossing over into Armenia on Tuesday.
Students travel by road to Armenian capital
The students have travelled by road to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, under the supervision of the Indian missions in Iran and Armenia.
"These students departed Yerevan on a special flight at 1455 hours on June 18 and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of June 19 as part of the initial stages of Operation Sindhu," the MEA said.
New Delhi said it is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for the smooth facilitation of the evacuation process.
In view of the deteriorating situation as a result of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, India has been taking various steps over the last several days for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran.
"As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian embassy in Iran has been assisting large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas seeing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and to subsequently evacuate them using the available and feasible options," the MEA said.
"Indian nationals in Iran are advised to stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Tehran through its emergency helpline, and with the 24x7 Control Room established by the MEA in New Delhi," it said.
Omar Abdullah on evacuation of students from Iran
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah provided an update on the evacuation of Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, stranded in Iran due to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, emphasising the use of land routes to Armenia for their safe return.
He said over 300 to 400 students are expected to reach safer zones by today, from where they will be repatriated to India via Armenia.
He stated, "We cannot evacuate them overnight because no airports are open, no ports are operational. We are first bringing them by road to cities where there is no bombing, and from there, efforts are being made to bring them back to India via Armenia. Today, we expect around 300 to 400 more students to arrive, most of whom are from Jammu and Kashmir. We will bring them back home safely, and there is a sense of hope all around."
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