Over 450 evacuees from Italy, Iran fly back to Delhi
NEW DELHI/JAISALMER: Over 450 Indians, including students, stranded in coronavirus (Covid-19)-hit Iran and Italy were brought back by two flights on Sunday and were quarantined at separate facilities, according to officials.
A total of 218 Indians, mostly students, from Milan landed at around 9:45 am at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and were taken to an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) quarantine facility in south-west Delhi’s Chhawla area.
Over 230 Indians brought back from Iran reached New Delhi at about 3:15 am and were quarantined at the Indian Army Wellness Centre in Jaisalmer, the third batch to be evacuated from that country. They had arrived in Delhi on a Mahan Air flight from Tehran and were ferried by two Air India flights to Jaisalmer, IGI airport officials said.
Jaishankar said the batch comprises 131 students and 103 pilgrims.
“234 Indians stranded in Iran have arrived in India; including 131 students and 103 pilgrims.Thank you Ambassador Dhamu Gaddam and @India_in_Iran team for your efforts. Thank Iranian authorities,” Jaishankar tweeted.
The minister had told the Rajya Sabha last week that the government was focusing on evacuating Indians stranded in Iran and Italy as these countries are facing an “extreme situation”. The centre at Jaisalmer is fully equipped and a functional facility to help Indians undertake the mandatory quarantine period under the supervision of skilled medical authorities.
Soldiers have volunteered to provide care and support to the countrymen returning from overseas, defence spokesperson Col Sombit Ghosh said.
The first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims were brought back from Iran on Tuesday and the second group of 44 Indian pilgrims had arrived from there on Friday.
Iran is one of the worst-affected countries by the coronavirus outbreak and the government has been working on plans to bring back Indians stranded there. Over 700 people have died from the disease in Iran and nearly 14,000 cases have been detected.
The arrival of the 218 Indians, including 211 students, stranded in coronavirus-hit Italy was announced on Twitter by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan.
“218 Indians including 211 students from Milan landed in Delhi. All will be quarantined for 14 days. GoI [Government of India] is committed to reach out to Indians in distress, wherever they are,” Muraleedharan tweeted.
“Appreciate government of Italy for their support and team @IndiainItaly @cgmilan1 @airindiain @DrSJaishankar,” he added.
Italy has reported over 1,400 deaths and 21,000 cases of coronavirus.
An ITBP spokesperson said, “All the 218 evacuees from Milan are being taken to our quarantine facility in Chhawla area. They will be there for over a fortnight as per quarantine procedures.”
The coronavirus outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, has led to over 5,000 deaths globally.
The cases in India have reached 107. The government has suspended all visas, barring a few categories like diplomatic and employment, in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.