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913 Indians Evacuated from Iran via Armenia, Azerbaijan; All Pilgrims Home

The Ministry of External Affairs announced that 913 Indian citizens have now crossed from Iran into Armenia and Azerbaijan with embassy assistance. All 284 Indian pilgrims who were stranded in Iran have successfully returned home. Officials reported that six Indian nationals have lost their lives in the West Asia conflict, with missions searching for one missing person. Air travel from the Gulf region is improving, with around 300,000 passengers having returned to India since late February.

Key Points: India Evacuates 913 Citizens from Iran via Land Routes

  • 913 Indians exited Iran via Armenia & Azerbaijan
  • All 284 stranded pilgrims safely returned
  • 6 Indian nationals deceased in West Asia conflict
  • 300,000 passengers returned from Gulf since Feb 28
2 min read

913 Indians cross into Armenia, Azerbaijan from Iran; all 284 stranded pilgrims return home: MEA

MEA confirms 913 Indians crossed from Iran into Armenia & Azerbaijan. All 284 stranded pilgrims are now home. Updates on missing nationals and flights.

"913 Indian citizens have crossed the border in Armenia and Azerbaijan from Iran with the help of the embassy - Randhir Jaiswal"

New Delhi, March 20

More Indian nationals stranded in Iran have returned home through land routes via neighbouring countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday, adding that the evacuation process is continuing with the assistance of Indian missions.

Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the number of Indians exiting Iran through Armenia and Azerbaijan has increased since the previous update.

"As I told before, through Iran, many Indian citizens who are in Iran are returning to the country through Armenia and Azerbaijan. In that, there has been an increase in the number I told yesterday. Now, 913 Indian citizens have crossed the border in Armenia and Azerbaijan from Iran with the help of the embassy, and many people have already returned among them," Jaiswal said.

He added that all Indian pilgrims who had been stranded in Iran have now safely returned to India.

"As I had told you before, 284 pilgrims were stuck there; all those 284 pilgrims have now returned to India," he said.

Providing an update on assistance requests, Jaiswal said the MEA's control room received a limited number of communications from people seeking information and support.

"As far as the MEA control room is concerned, yesterday, a total of 10 telephone calls and six emails were received in this control room. All these were mostly about the Indian citizens stuck on merchant ships, about which telephone calls were there," he added.

During the Inter-Ministerial Briefing, Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the MEA, Aseem R Mahajan, said that Indian missions in multiple countries are working closely with authorities to locate an Indian national reported missing in the West Asia conflict.

"Six Indian nationals have unfortunately lost their lives, and one is missing in various incidents. Our missions in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq and UAE are in regular touch with the concerned authorities regarding the missing Indian national and for the early repatriation of mortal remains of the deceased Indian nationals to India," Mahajan said.

The MEA official said that the travel situation from the Gulf region is gradually improving, with a significant number of passengers already returning to India.

"Situation continues to improve with additional flights operating from the region. Since February 28, around 300,000 passengers have returned from the region to India," the MEA official said.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
This is a massive evacuation effort. 913 people crossing borders by land is no small feat. Salute to the MEA and our missions abroad for their relentless work.
A
Aseem R
While the efforts are appreciated, the article also mentions 6 Indians lost their lives and one is missing. My heart goes out to their families. The government must ensure the mortal remains are brought back with full dignity and support is provided to the grieving families.
S
Sarah B
The scale is staggering - 300,000 passengers returned since Feb 28. It shows how many of our people work in the Gulf region. Hope the situation stabilizes soon for everyone's sake.
V
Vikram M
Good coordination with Armenia and Azerbaijan. In times of crisis, having friendly neighbours and efficient diplomatic channels is a blessing. Bharat's global standing helps in these operations.
K
Karthik V
The control room only got 10 calls and 6 emails yesterday? That's surprisingly low given the scale. Maybe most people are getting the help they need directly, or information is flowing well through other channels. Either way, it's a positive sign.

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