Agency: A special flight carrying three Nepali and 272 Indian citizens safely landed late Wednesday night in New Delhi after being evacuated from the conflict-affected city of Mashhad in Iran.
With this, the total number of people rescued under “Operation Sindhu” has reached 3,426. The evacuees expressed their gratitude to both the Iranian and Indian governments for facilitating their safe rescue from the conflict zone.
Speaking to ANI, one Indian evacuee said, “I thank my government, especially the Prime Minister. We did not face any difficulties during the evacuation. Both Iranian and Indian governments treated us very well.”
Another evacuee added, “We are grateful to the government for bringing us back. If the situation had worsened there, returning would have been difficult.”
Operation Sindhu was launched amid escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. Meanwhile, Nepal had requested the Indian government to rescue its nationals stranded in Iran. Nepal’s Foreign Minister Arju Rana had appealed for the evacuation of 16 Nepali citizens in Iran.
On Wednesday, immigration authorities facilitated the rescue of seven Nepalis who were stuck at Mashhad International Airport. They had been sent back earlier on Tuesday due to lack of exit permits.
