It was a moment of relief for Keralities who returned back safe to the state after being evacuated from strife-torn Sudan on Thursday. The people who were evacuated from Sudan reached the Cochin international airport on Thursday morning from New Delhi.
One of the returnees, Biji Alappat, as per PTI said, "We reached back home because of the blessings of the Almighty. Despite a ceasefire in place, fighting is still going on in many parts of Sudan."
Biji from Kakkanad is among the first batch of Keralites, who reached the state from African nation after being safely evacuated by the External Affairs Ministry on Wednesday.
While talking to the media outside the airport, Alappat said life in Sudan had been peaceful for the past several years and he never ever thought there would be a fight between two army factions.
He said, at least 6,000-7,000 Indians lived in Sudan. "A large number of Indians have already moved to other places from Khartoum via bus. I think, if we can evacuate 500-600 people daily, we can complete the mission in 10 days," Alappat, who was working in an oil company in Sudan, said.
For Thomas Varghese and Sheelamma Thomas, a couple from Kottarakkara who also reached the state this morning, their return to the home state was "just like a miracle".
"We never thought that we could come back. We have been living there for 18 years and never faced such a situation before. Life was so miserable after the war broke out," Thomas told reporters outside Thiruvananthapuram airport.
However, it was not a day of joy for everyone. For some returnees, life had come to a standstill.
Saibella Albert's Holiday Turns Into Nightmare
Though many families experienced a joyous return from troubled Sudan on Thursday, life has come to a standstill for Saibella Albert and her daughter.
Saibella Albert's husband Albert Augustine was killed during an exchange of fire between paramilitary forces and the Sudanese Army in Khartoum. The incident took place while he was speaking over his mobile phone.
Augustine, an ex-serviceman, had joined a private company in Khartoum as a security officer seven months ago, said a report on IANS.