Scenes of relief and joy unfolded at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Sunday morning as the first batch of students from Karnataka, who were evacuated from war-hit Ukraine, arrived in Bengaluru.
Parents were seen hugging their children who were brought to safety. According to Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) Commissioner and Nodal Officer Manoj Rajan, 30 students from the State were safely evacuated by the Embassy of India, Kyiv.
The first batch of 12 students, who had arrived in Mumbai, reached the international airport at Bengaluru at 8.45 a.m. A group of five students arrived to a warm welcome at 8.25 p.m.
“Thirteen students reached New Delhi in the second batch and were taken to Karnataka Bhavan, and another five students arrived later. They were booked on flights to Bengaluru for Sunday evening,” Mr. Rajan told The Hindu.
But hundreds of others –primarily medical students - continue to be stranded in the war-torn country.
Overall, 400 people from Karnataka were said to be stranded in Ukraine, according to the latest figures shared by the KSDMA. The students, who landed in the first batch at KIA, were evacuated through Romania. “All the documentation was done in the buses we were travelling in,” they said.
“The local tickets from Delhi and Mumbai to Bengaluru will be borne by the State Government. Further, the Nodal Officer and his team are in constant touch with the MEA to evacuate remaining stranded students in Ukraine,” a release said.
Revenue Minister R. Ashok, who was present at the KIA to receive the first batch of 12 students, said that the State Government was taking all possible steps for the safe return of students struck in Ukraine.
“The Government has made all facilities for their return from Mumbai and Delhi airports. The Disaster Management Authority under the Revenue Department is managing the expenses of the students,” he said.
He also said that the Chief Minister was in constant touch with the Minister of External Affairs on the safe return of students. “We have requested the Minister of External Affairs to provide food and water to students struck in Ukraine. The Centre has already given assurance of providing all possible support for students to return to the homeland. I want to convey to the parents not to panic as we are doing all possible help and the helplines are operated 24x7. The rescue mission is being done in such a way that we will continue to work till the last student safely returns home,” he added.
The State Government has opened a facilitation centre at IGI Airport, New Delhi, to coordinate and support stranded students arriving at the airport hailing from Karnataka.
