Around 2.2 lakh Indians have returned to the country since February 28 as tensions and conflict escalated across West Asia, officials said on Monday, while evacuation and travel facilitation efforts continue in several countries in the region.
According to Aseem Mahajan, Joint Secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs, about 45 flights from Gulf countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar are expected to land at various Indian airports on Monday.
Flights from Qatar have resumed partially after its airspace reopened, with three services scheduled to arrive in India over Monday and Tuesday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Indian nationals in Iran have also been moving to neighbouring countries through land borders as part of safety measures facilitated by Indian missions.
“Approximately 550 Indian nationals have crossed into Armenia, while about 90 Indians have travelled into Azerbaijan from Iran via the land border,” Jaiswal said on Monday during an inter-ministerial briefing on developments in West Asia.
Among those who moved into Armenia were 284 Indian pilgrims who had travelled to Iran for religious purposes. Officials said some have already returned to India while others are expected to return in the coming days.
The Indian embassy in Tehran continues to operate despite the situation and has also relocated Indian students from areas outside the capital to safer locations, officials added.
Mahajan said Kuwait’s airspace remains closed, though arrangements are being made for special non-scheduled flights. For Indians in Bahrain and Iraq, transit through Saudi Arabia is being facilitated.
Officials also confirmed that two Indian nationals were killed in Sohar city in Oman in an attack on March 13. The Indian embassy in Muscat is coordinating with local authorities and the victims’ families, and their mortal remains are expected to be repatriated soon.
Meanwhile, the government said shipping operations involving Indian vessels in the Gulf region remain under close monitoring.
According to Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Indian-flagged vessel Jag Laadki carrying about 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil sailed from the UAE on March 14 and is expected to reach Mundra Port on Tuesday.
Another LPG carrier, Shivalik LPG Carrier, which sailed from the Persian Gulf, has crossed the Strait of Hormuz and is expected to reach India later on Monday.
Officials said 22 Indian-flagged vessels carrying 611 Indian seafarers remain in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf but are safe, with no incidents reported in the past 24 hours.
Authorities said they are maintaining constant communication with ships and monitoring the situation as tensions continue across the region.
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