Under Operation Ganga, Over 15,920 Indians Have Been Evacuated: Officials

According to the Indian embassy in Hungary, the evacuation mission from the nation is approaching completion as the final leg of flights under the operation begins.

Representational Image. (Source: PTI)

New Delhi: Officials stated on Sunday that India has evacuated "about 15,920" of its people in 76 aircraft as part of the 'Operation Ganga' rescue effort launched in response to Russia's armed action against Ukraine.

According to the Indian embassy in Hungary, the evacuation mission from the nation is approaching completion as the final leg of flights under the operation begins, news agency PTI reported.

After crossing into these countries via Ukraine via land border transit points, India has started taking back its people from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova. On February 26, the first flight from Bucharest returned with the trapped Indians.

After Russia initiated the military action, Ukraine restricted its airspace to commercial planes.

Approximately 2,500 Indians were evacuated on 13 aircraft in the previous 24 hours, according to authorities.

Seven aircraft are expected to return trapped Indians from Hungary, Romania, and Poland during the next 24 hours, according to officials.

There will be five flights from Budapest, one from Rzeszow, Poland, and one from Suceava, Romania.

"Under Operation Ganga, so far 76 Flights have brought over 15,920 Indians back to India. Out of these 76 flights, 13 flights landed in the last 24 hours," an official was quoted by PTI in its report.

The Indian embassy in Hungary issued an "urgent message" on Twitter, requesting that Indian students remaining in the country report to specified contact points for repatriation to India.

"Important Announcement: Embassy of India begins its last leg of Operation Ganga flights today. All those students staying in their OWN accommodation ( other than arranged by Embassy) are requested to reach @Hungariacitycentre, Rakoczi Ut 90, Budapest between 10 am-12 pm," it said.

Important Announcement: Embassy of India begins its last leg of Operation Ganga flights today. All those students staying in their OWN accommodation ( other than arranged by Embassy) are requested to reach @Hungariacitycentre , Rakoczi Ut 90, Budapest between 10 am-12 pm

— Indian Embassy in Hungary (@IndiaInHungary) March 6, 2022

Separately, the Indian embassy in Ukraine has encouraged all Indian nationals who are still in the conflict-torn country to fill out an online form as soon as possible.

The Google form requests name, email, phone number, current residence, passport information, gender, and age.

The embassy also requested information on the present whereabouts of the Indians who are stuck in Ukraine.

In the form, a list of places has been supplied, with the opportunity to pick a location from the list.

Cherkassy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytsky, Kirovograd, Kyiv, Luhansk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, and Odessa are among the cities named in the online form.

Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsya, Volyn, Zakarpattya, Zaporozhzhya, and Zhytomyr were also on the list.

Over 21,000 Indians have fled Ukraine since the advice was issued weeks before the violence erupted, according to officials.

They claim that 19920 Indians have already arrived in India.

Six tranches of humanitarian supplies were already sent to Ukraine, and a further six-tonne tranche was delivered to Poland on Sunday by an IAF jet.

The MEA control room, as well as the control centres run by Indian embassies, are still open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to authorities.

According to authorities, the MEA control room handled 12435 phone calls and 9026 e-mails as of Sunday afternoon.

(With PTI Inputs)