Four Indian citizens arrived in Delhi on Saturday after being evacuated from Syria. They expressed relief and thanked the Indian embassy for their efforts. The evacuation is part of India’s ongoing efforts to assist citizens affected by the violence in Syria.
One evacuee described the journey, saying, “I went there 15-20 days ago. We did not know this would happen. The Indian Embassy evacuated us. First we they took us to Lebanon and then Goa and today we have reached Delhi. We are happy that we have reached our country. The Indian Embassy helped us a lot. They brought us in a bus from Syria to Lebanon as flights are not operating in Syria. Then, they brought us to Goa in a flight and then they brought us to Delhi.”
Another individual recounted the embassy’s instructions to reach Damascus for transport to a safe zone in Beirut. He highlighted the dangerous conditions, stating, “We were doing job in Syria for past four months. One day, while working at the plant, we saw two-three rockets. We informed embassy and they told us to come to Damascus. We stayed there for 1-2 days, then we were taken to Beirut safe zone. There was some issue with the ticket there for two days. After two days, our ticket was booked from Beirut to Doha. Then, our ticket was booked from Doha to Qatar and Doha to New Delhi. The situation there is very critical. Every day we heard the sounds of rockets and bullets. The embassy helped us a lot and provided all the facilities including food, good accomodation. They even booked ticket us for us. I want to thank the embassy and Indian government.” He also added, “We want to thank PM Modi and the Indian Embassy.”
Others expressed gratitude towards the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One said, “I want to thank Indian embassy, Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their support. The condition there is very bad. We got scared there as we heard sounds of rockets and bullets for the first time. I am very happy to be back in India.” Another said, “We received a call from embassy. They told us to leave Syria. We also heard the sound of bomb blasts. The situation there was very serious. The embassy called us and shifted us to Beirut, then after two-three days, we were brought to New Delhi. We are grateful to PM Modi.”
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) had previously reported the evacuation of 77 Indian nationals from Syria, coordinating efforts through embassies in the Middle East. The MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, confirmed ongoing support for Indians in the region and mentioned no current evacuation plans for other countries. He also noted that some Indians have chosen to remain in Syria. Syria’s new Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, has prioritized the repatriation of Syrian refugees as a key objective.