Over 400 Russian citizens stranded in India flown back

NEW DELHI: Over 400 Russian nationals stranded in India were flown back to their homeland by a special flight on Wednesday, according to the top Russian diplomat in New Delhi.

A fourth dedicated flight has departed from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi with stranded Russian tourists on board.

"Today, we saw off over 400 Russian nationals on Moscow-bound airplane. This was a fourth dedicated flight to bring our compatriots home. This mission required dedication on behalf of many agencies," Ambassador of Russia to India Nikolay Kudashev said in a statement.

He thanked the Ministry of External Affairs, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation as well as local administrations and police of various states for their "kind support and selfless effort in these challenging times."

He also praised the courageous airmen, who made these flights possible.

"Today, both Russia and India face same challenges and work together to contain the spread of infection while securing the interests of our citizens, many of whom face difficulties while away from home," Kudashev said.

"Our leaders, President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are in personal touch over this matter," the diplomat added.

Several countries have been carrying out special operations to evacuate their citizens stranded in foreign lands amid the outbreak of the Coronavirus that has killed over 41,000 people worldwide.

Russia has so far reported 2,337 confirmed cases and 17 deaths, while India has reported 1,397 cases and 35 deaths.

Meanwhile, amid the lockdown due to Coronavirus, nearly 2,000 foreign tourists are stranded in Goa and efforts are underway to send them to their respective countries, a tourism body said on Wednesday.

Majority of the visitors held back in the coastal state are Britishers as tourists from various other countries have already flown out, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) president Savio Messias said.

"There must be 1,500 to 2,000 foreigners stranded in Goa. Most of these are Britishers.

We are getting calls from a number of foreigners requesting for their evacuation. Some have contacted the British Embassy and Goa Police," he said.

Many of these tourists had been holidaying in Goa since a long time, he said, adding that some of them arrived six months back.

"Most of them have been living in rented houses and are facing the problem of procuring essential items. We are helping them in whatever way possible, he said.

While flights are arriving to carry the tourists back, the worst difficulty faced by them is travelling to the Goa airport as taxis are not plying, Messias said. The TTAG, Goa's apex tourism body, has issued special permits to about 40 taxi drivers to ferry the foreigners, he said. "Some of the foreigners want to stay back in the state as their visas will get renewed automatically," Messias said.