The Indian Air Force (IAF) has safely evacuated 246 more Indian citizens from Sudan. They arrived in Mumbai this evening, April 27, around 4 pm.
The flight departed from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which serves as a transit hub established by the Indian government for Operation Kaveri.
Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 27, 2023
246 more Indians come back to the motherland. pic.twitter.com/So7dlKO0z6
The evacuees are first transported to Jeddah via sea or air routes and then flown back to India. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is overseeing the evacuation mission from Jeddah.
Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying.
— V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023
246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport.#OperationKaveri. pic.twitter.com/vw3LpbbzGw
This is the second batch of evacuees to arrive in India under Operation Kaveri, the first being 360 Indian citizens who arrived in Delhi from Jeddah on Wednesday, April 26.
Textile exporter Mohit Agarwal, 50 was the first Mumbaikar to return from Sudan amidst the ongoing conflict in the region. He travelled from his hotel in Khartoum in Al Jazeera media truck to a pick-up location arranged by the Indian embassy. From there, he proceeded aboard their ship with them to Jeddah before breaking ranks with the Indian group. He flew independently to Dubai and then on to Mumbai.
Agarwal was greeted by his family, neighbors, and friends with two dh7ol tasha players in their apartment complex. His wife, Meenakshi, received him at the airport and shared that Agarwal was exhausted after three sleepless nights and three days of travel. Media persons were not granted access to Agarwal upon his return, so the reasons behind his decision to break ranks remain unclear.
Over 3,000 Indian citizens were stranded in the country, reports stated. The Indian government initiated "Operation Kaveri" to evacuate these citizens and bring them back home. The first special flight carrying evacuees from Sudan arrived in Delhi on Wednesday, 26 April. A total of six batches have containing about 1100 Indians have arrived so far.
#OperationKaveri continues in swift pace.
— V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023
Happy to receive 297 Indians at Jeddah carried by INS Teg. With this second ship and total six batches, around 1100 Indians rescued from Sudan have arrived in Jeddah.
Repatriation to India of those arriving today will commence shortly. pic.twitter.com/krTteb121h
The stranded Indians used social media extensively to connect with their loved ones. They also connected with government representatives in both nations in preparation for their rescue. The Sudanese government had disrupted phone and internet communications, so the stranded citizens could only maintain sporadic contact.
The Indian government stationed two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and the naval ship INS Sumedha in Port Sudan to assist with the evacuation. The families of the trapped Indians breathed a sigh of relief as they awaited news of the rescue mission.
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