A total of 500 students who were stranded in different parts of war-torn Ukraine have made it back to their homes in Karnataka.
Manoj Rajan, nodal officer and commissioner, Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, who has been monitoring efforts to bring back the stranded students, said that 500 students have come back in 54 flights that were part of “Operation Ganga” of the Ministry of External Affairs. Of the 54 flights to India, 44 were from Delhi and 10 from Mumbai, he said.
As per data collected by the KSDMA control room, there still are 142 students yet to return to the State. The stranded students, especially those from Kyiv and Kharkiv, are all said to be in the safe zones in Poland and Romanian border, while some are on the way to the border from Lviv. According to information available, the MEA is making efforts to rescue 6 students from the State who are stranded in Sumy by bringing them to safe zones through the western borders of Ukraine.
The stranded students started arriving in the State from February 27. Most number of students (104) returned from Ukraine on March 3. Since February 27, a total of 500 students have returned, Mr. Rajan said.
“With rescue and evacuation efforts still on as part of ‘Operation Ganga’, we are confident that the remaining 142 students from Karnataka will also return safely,” he added.
