Operation Kaveri: 362 Indian stranded in Sudan reach Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A flight carrying 362 Indians who were stranded in strife-torn Sudan landed at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Friday, a senior official said.

The evacuees included 114 from Karnataka, he added.

India on Friday brought home 754 people under its mission to evacuate stranded Indians from Sudan. While 392 people arrived in New Delhi in a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft of the Indian Air Force, 362 Indians were brought to Bengaluru.

According to official data, the total number of Indians brought home from the African nation now stands at 1,360.

Under Operation Kaveri, India has been rescuing its citizens in buses from conflict zones in Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to Jeddah in Indian Air Force’s transport aircraft and Indian Navy’s ships. From Jeddah, the Indians are being brought home in either commercial flights or IAF aircraft.

Commissioner of Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority Manoj Rajan said, ”Today we had a flight bringing 362 evacuees from Sudan. It landed at Kempegowda International Airport at 4.30 pm.”

”These 362 evacuees comprised 241 males, 107 females, 12 children and two infants. Of those who arrived from Sudan, 114 are from Karnataka,” he said.

Most of those from Karnataka belonged to the Hakki-Pikki tribe who had got to Sudan to offer medical treatment to the people there.

In the last two days, 119 people from Karnataka have been evacuated from Sudan. Of them, 50 are from Shivamogga, 45 from Mysuru, 14 from Bengaluru, four from Kalaburagi, two each from Ramanagara and Udupi, and one each from Davangere and Hassan districts, Rajan said.

”Arrangements have also been made for last-mile connectivity. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses have been arranged to carry the evacuees from Bengaluru Airport to their hometowns,” the officer added.

India has set up separate control rooms in Jeddah and Port Sudan and the Indian embassy in Khartoum has been coordinating with them and the MEA’s headquarters in Delhi.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. On Monday, Jaishankar announced the launch of Operation Kaveri to evacuate Indians from Sudan.