Lucky escape for students

Two South African students were lucky to escape unharmed after they were trapped in the town of Sumi in Ukraine when it was bombed and critical infrastructure damaged.

There were fears that the students might not make it, but a temporary ceasefire on Friday ensured that they were evacuated.

Department of International Relations and Cooperation acting director-general and head of public diplomacy Clayson Monyela said the next daunting task for the department was to rope in counselling services to deal with the trauma experienced by the students.

He said though some students were back in the country, there were still a few in Hungary and Romania.

“There were issues that some didn’t have travel documents but they were issued with emergency travel certificates.”

The department also made a call to SA universities to allow these students to complete their studies here. The department said a private company had come forward offering several scholarships.