JOIN USAt least another 1,000 Indians still stranded in war-hit areas of Ukraine
Nearly 1,000 Indians, mostly students, are still stranded in the war-hit regions of northern and eastern Ukraine with the Ministry of External Affairs arranging adequate numbers of buses to extricate them.
“The highest attention is on the eastern Ukraine, particularly Kharkiv and Pisochin. We have managed to get some buses there. Five buses are already operational and more buses will be available later in the evening. There are around 300 Indians in Kharkiv and 700 in Sumy. We are concerned about Sumy” Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the MEA said at a briefing.
Earlier, a group of Indian students stuck inside a hostel at Sumy in northern Ukraine posted a video requesting the government to rescue them. They said they had no water or food and the temperature outside was sub-zero.
In the video, the students said they have been trying to contact the Indian Embassy for the last seven days but with no avail. They said another group of African students who went out of the hostel looking for an escape route, were shot by the gunmen.
“Evacuation looks difficult without a ceasefire. We urge the parties concerned- Ukraine and Russia- to have a local ceasefire at least, so that we can evacuate our people and students,” Bagchi said, adding over 20,000 Indians left the Ukraine border, but more were still there. Around 900-1000 Indians are also stranded in Pisochin.
Bagchi said more than 10,300 Indians were brought back in 48 flights under Operation Ganga - the Indian evacuation mission following the Ukraine crisis. Sixteen flights are scheduled for the next 24 hours including the Indian Air Force’s C-17 aircraft.
“We can’t say we are moving downward (as of yet…). We will continue Operation Ganga till the last person gets evacuated. Roughly 2,000-3,000 more Indians are likely to be there but the number can vary,” he said.
Asked about the Indian student Harjot Singh who received bullet injuries and is being treated at a hospital in Kyiv, Bagchi said the central government would bear the expenses for his medical treatment.
“We are trying to ascertain his medical status. Our embassy is trying to get an update on his health status. We are trying to reach out but facing trouble as it's a conflict zone,” he said.
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