Five Indians injured in Iran; India launches Operation Sindhu to bring back stranded students

New Delhi: At least five Indians were injured in airstrikes by Israel on Iran on Wednesday, even as New Delhi launched “Operation Sindhu” to bring back home the citizens of the country from the beleaguered Persian Gulf nation.

The Indians – two students from Maharashtra and three from Jammu and Kashmir – were injured when one of the missiles fired by Israel hit the dormitory where they were staying, diplomatic sources in New Delhi said, adding that they had received medical care.

The Government of India, however, did not officially confirm that the students had suffered injuries in Tehran, even as it started the process of evacuating the capital of Iran, which was hit by several missiles fired by Israel on Wednesday.

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Meanwhile, the 110 Indian students, who were evacuated by the Embassy of India in Tehran and who crossed over to Armenia through the Iran-Armenia border, boarded an aircraft in Yerevan to return to New Delhi. They are expected to reach New Delhi early on Thursday.

“The Government of India is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for the smooth facilitation of the evacuation process,” the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi stated.

“India accords the highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad. 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 subsequently evacuating them using the available and feasible options,” the MEA stated. “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 Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.”

Nearly 10000 citizens of India are currently living in Iran. Israel has around 26000 Indians.