Iran-Israel conflict: First batch of evacuated students reach native places; three more flights en route
Even as the first batch of students evacuated from Iran safely reached their home towns on Friday, three special flights carrying 1,000 students, including 500 Kashmiris, are on its way back to New Delhi. A MBBS student with her father after returning home in Srinagar on Friday. (PTI)
One of the flight is expected to land in New Delhi tonight and the other two are likely to arrive past midnight.
The 110 students, including 94 from Kashmir, who were on first flight, have reached their native places safely.
J&K student association convener Nasir Khuehami, who is in touch with students, their families and government said that three Mahan Air flights from Mashhad, Iran, will bring Indian students back to New Delhi. 'These are special evacuation flights. A total of 1,000 Indian students, including 500 from Kashmir, will be returning,' He said, adding that the first of the three flights could reach New Delhi by 11.30 pm and other two flights are likely to arrive on Saturday,' he said.
Earlier parents of the students had urged central government to take urgent measures to bring out the stranded students who are in different parts of Iran.
'In the past eight days only one college students were evacuated via Armenia. Most of the students are still waiting for their evacuation. These students are at Mashaad near Turkamanistan border and other places. MEA should make fast efforts to evacuate these students as situation isn't good in Iran,' said father of a girl who is stranded in Mashad.
There are still hundreds of Kashmiri students who are being evacuated. Kashmiri students usually opt for Iranian universities because of their affordability and similar cultural milieu. The students are spread in Tehran, Shiraz and Qom. Iran is home to more than 4,000 Indian students, half of them from J&K, who are enrolled in medical and other professional courses.
Meanwhile J&K government has made special arrangements of buses to get the students to Srinagar in special buses once they reach New Delhi. Earlier the first batch of students had complained that after their arrival at New Delhi the J&K government had sent broken buses which were then later were changed after the intervention of chief minister Omar Abdullah. However majority of students reached Srinagar on their own and only 35 students came in the bus arranged by the UT government.
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