JOIN US'180 students from Karnataka stranded in war-torn Ukraine'
As many as 180 students from the state pursuing medical education at various universities in Ukraine were left stranded after Russia launched a full-fledged attack on its neighbour on Thursday.
Parents back home are worried about their children’s safety in the war-torn east European nation. Some of them are struggling to get in touch with their wards who are staying in the conflict areas.
Mallanagouda Kavadimatti, a DCC Bank official from Vijayapura said his daughter Suchitra and nine of her classmates from Vijayapura district, all students of Kharkiv National Medical University, are stranded at a house in Kharkiv. Mallanagouda was in touch with his daughter over the phone till Thursday afternoon.
“My daughter told me that they woke up to the sound of an explosion near the airport in the morning. They kept hearing the noise of distant explosions, since then. She feared that they would run out of food and provision if the ongoing turmoil continues... She was in touch with me over the phone till Thursday afternoon. Thereafter the telephone and internet services were shut down. The strife-torn nation is in a state of emergency, “ he told DH.
“I had arranged for her return paying Rs 1.5 lakh for a flight ticket. But the flight got cancelled at the last minute,” Kavadimatti said.
He alleged that his repeated pleas to authorities to ensure safe return of his daughter and her friends have failed to yield the desired results.
‘Moved to bomb shelters’
The story of four medical students from Bagalkot is no different. All four - Kiran Savadi, Manoj Chitragar, Apoorva Kadampur and Spoorthi Doddamani - were stranded at their college hostel till the local authorities moved them to a bomb shelter at a metro station, according to Dr Ganga Doddamani, mother of Spoorthi.
Similarly, Sangmesh Soppimath from Kallur village in Yelburga taluk of Koppal district, a third-year medical student at Vinnytsia National Pirgov Memorial Medical College, is stranded at the college hostel. Koppal MP Karadi Sanganna has written to MEA to bring him back safely.
Flights cancelled
Suneha, daughter of Thippeswamy, a PWD engineer, and Padmavathi couple from Chitradurga, who was supposed to return home from Ukraine on Thursday, was left stranded at her hostel after the flights were cancelled.
Sneha Hosamani, a final year medical student from Mundgod in Uttara Kannada, is stuck at a house in Kharkiv along with several students from Karnataka. During a telephonic conversation, she told her parents about the missile attack by the Russian army close to her house.
Among the students from Karnataka stranded in Ukraine are Mahaganapathi Bilimaggad (Mundargi-Gadag); Jeevita Sindhe (Kalaburagi); Anaina Anna (Derebail, Mangaluru) and Clatan Osmand (Kulashekara); Rohan (Udupi); Nivedita Chandrashekar (Timmasandra-Ramanagara), Ayesha (Ramanagara); KM Manoj (Sakharayapatna-Ch’magaluru).
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