News Analysis India

Tag: evacuation

  • Work on to restore connectivity in flood-hit Sikkim, evacuation of tourists to continue 

    By PTI

    GANGTOK: Work is on to restore connectivity in areas isolated by flash floods in north Sikkim by setting up temporary bridges and other means while evacuating stranded tourists will continue on Wednesday, officials said.

    Troops of the Army and various government agencies people are working to send essential commodities to the distressed people.

    Out of the approximately 1700 tourists stranded in north Sikkim, a total of 690 tourists, including 26 foreigners, have been rescued by air from Lachen and Lachung towns by the Indian Air Force (IAF) since Monday.

    The remaining travellers will be shifted on Wednesday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast clear weather.

    Tourists evacuated by the Indian Air Force from flood-affected Lachen arrive at Ringhim Helipad, Mangan in Sikkim | PTI

    At Chungthang, the area worst affected by the flash flood, Army and BRO personnel cleared the sludge on the road through the town. A log bridge was completed with the help of ITBP and locals.

    More than 500 people including tourists crossed over the log bridge on Tuesday, officials said adding that army engineers are working on strengthening the bridge.

    Braving difficult terrain and inclement weather, a team of the army assisted 11 civilians isolated in the Chaten area with immediate food and medical aid. A helipad was created and they were rescued later, officials said.

    Earlier, a foot track had been opened to the isolated village of Rabom where 245 people had been stranded. Out of them, 129 are employees of the Kundan Hydel power project.

    Mobile phone connectivity has been restored in Lachung while that in Lachen Valley will be made soon.

    The IAF helicopters also transported nearly 58 tonnes of relief materials to North Sikkim for locals, and the Army and ITBP personnel posted there, the chief secretary said.

    A week after the flash flood, which happened in the early hours of October 4, 76 people are still missing.

    READ MORE | Soldier killed in Sikkim relief operations laid to rest

    So far, 36 bodies have been found in Sikkim, while 41 bodies have been found at various places along the river in neighbouring West Bengal, according to officials in the two states.

    A cloudburst in the Lhonak glacial lake led to the discharge of a huge quantity of water, which triggered a flash flood in the Teesta River, flooding towns and villages and affecting about 87,300 people.

    GANGTOK: Work is on to restore connectivity in areas isolated by flash floods in north Sikkim by setting up temporary bridges and other means while evacuating stranded tourists will continue on Wednesday, officials said.

    Troops of the Army and various government agencies people are working to send essential commodities to the distressed people.

    Out of the approximately 1700 tourists stranded in north Sikkim, a total of 690 tourists, including 26 foreigners, have been rescued by air from Lachen and Lachung towns by the Indian Air Force (IAF) since Monday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The remaining travellers will be shifted on Wednesday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast clear weather.

    Tourists evacuated by the Indian Air Force from flood-affected Lachen arrive at Ringhim Helipad, Mangan in Sikkim | PTI

    At Chungthang, the area worst affected by the flash flood, Army and BRO personnel cleared the sludge on the road through the town. A log bridge was completed with the help of ITBP and locals.

    More than 500 people including tourists crossed over the log bridge on Tuesday, officials said adding that army engineers are working on strengthening the bridge.

    Braving difficult terrain and inclement weather, a team of the army assisted 11 civilians isolated in the Chaten area with immediate food and medical aid. A helipad was created and they were rescued later, officials said.

    Earlier, a foot track had been opened to the isolated village of Rabom where 245 people had been stranded. Out of them, 129 are employees of the Kundan Hydel power project.

    Mobile phone connectivity has been restored in Lachung while that in Lachen Valley will be made soon.

    The IAF helicopters also transported nearly 58 tonnes of relief materials to North Sikkim for locals, and the Army and ITBP personnel posted there, the chief secretary said.

    A week after the flash flood, which happened in the early hours of October 4, 76 people are still missing.

    READ MORE | Soldier killed in Sikkim relief operations laid to rest

    So far, 36 bodies have been found in Sikkim, while 41 bodies have been found at various places along the river in neighbouring West Bengal, according to officials in the two states.

    A cloudburst in the Lhonak glacial lake led to the discharge of a huge quantity of water, which triggered a flash flood in the Teesta River, flooding towns and villages and affecting about 87,300 people.

  • Operation Kaveri: 3,400 Indians rescued, others trapped in Sudan ‘would be home by Wednesday’  

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: At least 3,400 Indians stuck in strife-torn Sudan were rescued by the Indian authorities under Operation Kaveri.

    Even as other countries are involved in evacuating its citizens from Sudan, The Associated Press Monday night quoting a top UN official in the country reported that the warring generals have agreed to send representatives for negotiations, potentially in Saudi Arabia, even as the two sides clashed in the capital of Khartoum despite another three-day extension of a fragile cease-fire.

    If the talks come together, they would initially focus on establishing a “stable and reliable” cease-fire, Volker Perthes told The Associated Press. However, he warned of challenges in holding the negotiations.

    Operation Kaveri

    “The Indian government has worked around the clock to get our citizens back. This began with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, anchoring a high-level meeting in Sudan and subsequently sending Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan to oversee the rescue operations in Jeddah. The Saudi government has extended a lot of help as a result of which we have been able to establish basic makeshift facilities with all amenities for our citizens,’’ Foreign Secretary Kwatra claimed.

    The last batch of Indians is expected to reach India by Wednesday as nearly all Indians are in the safe zone and have left Sudan. They would reach India through various air connections.

    Private domestic carrier, Spicejet too joined in the rescue efforts by bringing back stranded Indians to Kochi from Jeddah on Monday.

    India had earlier taken the services of Saudi Airlines, besides flying its own Indian Air Force C130J aircraft to fly Indians across different cities which included Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

    The Indian embassy in Khartoum was near the airport which was close to the conflict zone, around Indian embassy staff members worked from a different location and yet could coordinate efforts with the Indians spread across Sudan.

    Some Indians left their homes without documents so the MEA had to facilitate their documents, getting buses or fuel for buses was an uphill task. With no or poor network it was difficult to coordinate as sometimes the conversations couldn’t be completed. Loading passengers and sending them on a bus to reach Port of Sudan (which took anywhere between 12 to 18 hours to cover a distance of 850 kms) was the second phase. On reaching the Port of Sudan these passengers were either sent by air or by ship to Jeddah from where they took India-bound flights.

    ALSO READ | ‘Catastrophic situation’: UN says Sudan near ‘breaking point’ as battles flare despite latest ‘truce’

    Besides the 3500 Indians, there are also 1000 people of Indian origin (PIO) in Sudan. However, since they have been settled in Sudan for over a century and have Sudanese passports they haven’t shown any interest in moving out.

    India also managed to rescue a French embassy staff from Khartoum earlier.

    US evacuates 1000 citizens

    Meanwhile, according to Reuters, by Sunday nearly 1,000 Americans had left Sudan, with another convoy having arrived at Port Sudan to travel onwards via Saudi Arabia.

    Britain said it has evacuated 2,122 people, mostly British nationals and their dependents and had arranged an extra flight from Port Sudan on Monday after announcing its last flight from Khartoum on Saturday, citing a decline in demand and volatility on the ground.

    Germany said on Wednesday it had ended its operation to evacuate people from Sudan, with more than 700 people flown out, including around 200 German citizens. 

    (With inputs from AP and Reuters.)

    NEW DELHI: At least 3,400 Indians stuck in strife-torn Sudan were rescued by the Indian authorities under Operation Kaveri.

    Even as other countries are involved in evacuating its citizens from Sudan, The Associated Press Monday night quoting a top UN official in the country reported that the warring generals have agreed to send representatives for negotiations, potentially in Saudi Arabia, even as the two sides clashed in the capital of Khartoum despite another three-day extension of a fragile cease-fire.

    If the talks come together, they would initially focus on establishing a “stable and reliable” cease-fire, Volker Perthes told The Associated Press. However, he warned of challenges in holding the negotiations.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Operation Kaveri

    “The Indian government has worked around the clock to get our citizens back. This began with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, anchoring a high-level meeting in Sudan and subsequently sending Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan to oversee the rescue operations in Jeddah. The Saudi government has extended a lot of help as a result of which we have been able to establish basic makeshift facilities with all amenities for our citizens,’’ Foreign Secretary Kwatra claimed.

    The last batch of Indians is expected to reach India by Wednesday as nearly all Indians are in the safe zone and have left Sudan. They would reach India through various air connections.

    Private domestic carrier, Spicejet too joined in the rescue efforts by bringing back stranded Indians to Kochi from Jeddah on Monday.

    India had earlier taken the services of Saudi Airlines, besides flying its own Indian Air Force C130J aircraft to fly Indians across different cities which included Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

    The Indian embassy in Khartoum was near the airport which was close to the conflict zone, around Indian embassy staff members worked from a different location and yet could coordinate efforts with the Indians spread across Sudan.

    Some Indians left their homes without documents so the MEA had to facilitate their documents, getting buses or fuel for buses was an uphill task. With no or poor network it was difficult to coordinate as sometimes the conversations couldn’t be completed. Loading passengers and sending them on a bus to reach Port of Sudan (which took anywhere between 12 to 18 hours to cover a distance of 850 kms) was the second phase. On reaching the Port of Sudan these passengers were either sent by air or by ship to Jeddah from where they took India-bound flights.

    ALSO READ | ‘Catastrophic situation’: UN says Sudan near ‘breaking point’ as battles flare despite latest ‘truce’

    Besides the 3500 Indians, there are also 1000 people of Indian origin (PIO) in Sudan. However, since they have been settled in Sudan for over a century and have Sudanese passports they haven’t shown any interest in moving out.

    India also managed to rescue a French embassy staff from Khartoum earlier.

    US evacuates 1000 citizens

    Meanwhile, according to Reuters, by Sunday nearly 1,000 Americans had left Sudan, with another convoy having arrived at Port Sudan to travel onwards via Saudi Arabia.

    Britain said it has evacuated 2,122 people, mostly British nationals and their dependents and had arranged an extra flight from Port Sudan on Monday after announcing its last flight from Khartoum on Saturday, citing a decline in demand and volatility on the ground.

    Germany said on Wednesday it had ended its operation to evacuate people from Sudan, with more than 700 people flown out, including around 200 German citizens.
     

    (With inputs from AP and Reuters.)

  • CM Channi requests Jaishankar to make arrangements for safe evacuation of Indians from Ukraine 

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, requesting that the central government makes immediate arrangements for the safe evacuation of Indians, including Punjabis, stuck in Ukraine following a Russian military offensive.

    “I would like to bring to your notice that a number of students and other Punjabis are stranded in Ukraine. Their parents and family members are worried about their safety because of the situation which has developed there. They are facing a number of problems like place to stay, cash crunch, etc. ,” Channi wrote.

    He requested the Centre to make immediate necessary arrangements for the safe evacuation of the Indians, including Punjabis, stuck in Ukraine. He requested the External Affairs Ministry to further intensify its efforts to explore all diplomatic channels to ensure safe return of Indians.

    “While the evacuation may take some time, meanwhile, Govt. of India may ensure safety of these people within Ukraine,” he said. On Thursday, Channi had sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention for the rescue and safe return of Indians, including Punjabis, stuck in Ukraine.

    Former union minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday urged Jaishankar to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of Punjabi students trapped in Ukraine as well as their safe passage to India. She shared with the government a list of 33 students from Punjab who are studying in various colleges in Ukraine.

    She said there was a likelihood of more Punjabis being stranded in Ukraine, besides people from other states, according to a statement.

    Badal said a concerted effort needed to be taken through the Indian embassy in Ukraine to ensure the safety of the students and Indian nationals there. Badal also reached out separately to Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, and requested that all help be extended to Indian students through the embassy in Ukraine.

    Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann too had appealed to the Union government to make arrangements to bring back Indian students safely and had also raised the issue of “multi-fold increase in air ticket prices”.

    Punjab Lok Congress president and former chief minister Amarinder Singh have also urged the Centre “to put all mechanisms in place for the safe and early return of all our nationals stuck there”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stressed that India attaches the highest priority to the safe exit and return of its citizens from Ukraine.

  • CCS takes stock of evacuation from Afghanistan

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: With India managing to evacuate its entire embassy staff from Kabul in what foreign minister S Jaishankar described as a “difficult and complicated exercise”, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the apex body on national security, met on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take stock of the situation.

    Two C-17 heavy-lift aircraft of the IAF flew in from Kabul with a total of 190 people, one landing in Jamnagar in Gujarat and the other at the Hindon airbase.  The C-17 that landed at IAF’s Hindon airbase around 5 pm, had around 150 people, including diplomats, officials, security personnel and some other stranded Indians. Besides, France evacuated 21 Indians from Kabul to Paris.

    The evacuation happened only after Jaishankar called up US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, sources said. Sources also said Modi was personally monitoring the evacuation and instructed officials to make arrangements for the food and security of the returning people.

    At the CCS meeting,  Modi directed all concerned ministries to keep a close track of the evolving situation, an official said. Those present included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. 

    There were also reports of evacuated Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon briefing the meeting.India has already opened an emergency e-visa facility for Afghans and clarified that repatriation will be done irrespective of religion, the Union ministry of home affairs announced on Tuesday.

    Meanwhile SOS calls kept coming in, with the Kerala government requesting help to bring back 41 Malayalis stranded in Kabul. Some messages claimed the Taliban were verifying their  identity and taking away their passports and other important documents.