Over 500 Indians brought back home safely from Libya

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Feb 27: More than 500 Indian nationals, including a large number of women and children, stranded in strife-torn Libya, arrived here from Tripoli in the early hours of Sunday, while more people are crossing over land to neighbouring Tunisia.

 

 

 

 

These people returned under the multimode “Operation Safehomecoming,’ launched by India to evacuate 18,000 Indian nationals in Libya. The two Air India special flights ferried 530 passengers. While the first aircraft brought home 291 passengers close to Saturday midnight, the second touched down some four hours later at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that 88 people crossed over by road from Libya to Ras Jedir in Tunisia, where a camp has been set up by the Indian embassy. These people who work for a private firm have been lodged in a hotel at Djerba and would be flown home soon.

It said that according to reports another 170 people are expected to reach Ras Jedir, where the camp is being supervised by Counsellor Balachandran Nair and Vijay Khanna. 

 

Second ship ready

The second passenger ship, La Superba, with a capacity of 1,600, is getting ready to sail to Libya. The ship is currently berthed in Sicily in Italy and would depart as soon as port preparations are completed. Another passenger ship, Scotia Prince, with a capacity of 1,200, set sail from Port Said in Egypt on Saturday night and is scheduled to reach Benghazi in Libya by Monday.

The Indian Navy warships, INS Jalashwa and INS Mysore, have already left the Indian shores. For operational reasons, the Navy has also sent its fleet replenishment tanker, INS Aditya, which would supply fuel in high seas closer to Alexandria, Egypt, as the two warships head to pick up Indian nationals at Tripoli.

On Saturday night, besides Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, those present to receive the passengers included Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Secretary Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs Didar Singh and officials of various Central and State governments.

Help desks

The Ministry said 10 State governments have set up help desks at Terminal 2, which has been reactivated for the passengers returning from Libya. It will be operational exclusively for handling all dedicated flights. The Libyan authorities have permitted Air India to fly two planes for 10 days.

All Ministries, Central agencies and State governments have worked closely to put reception arrangements in place.