New Delhi: A group of 110 Indian students, evacuated from Iran due to the ongoing conflict with Israel, landed in New Delhi on Thursday, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Most of the students — 94 in total hail from Jammu and Kashmir.
These students were enrolled at Urmia University in northwestern Iran and were first moved to neighbouring Armenia on Tuesday. Their evacuation was coordinated by Indian embassies in Iran and Armenia, said ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
On Wednesday, the students departed from Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, on a special flight to India. Besides Jammu and Kashmir, students from Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and other states were also among the evacuees.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said further evacuation efforts are underway. “We have aircraft on standby. More Indians are being airlifted, including some from Turkmenistan”. Indian missions have also set up 24-hour helplines to assist with evacuation requests.
These measures come in response to escalating tensions in the region. The recent conflict began on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on what it claimed were Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli territory.
With inputs from the The Hindu
