KOCHI : Providing a great relief to the waiting family members as many as 168 Indian nationals, including 151 Malyalees and 17 people from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, arrived at Nedumbassery Airport from strife-torn Yemen early today. The special Indian Air Force flight C-17 Gglobemasters, carrying those evacuated from Yemen by INS Sumitra, touched the run-way at around 0150 hrs, bringing an end to their week-long ordeal.
An array of Kerala Ministers, including Cultural Minister K C Joseph, who is also in charge of Non-Resident Keralities Affairs (NORKA), PWD Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju and Excise Minister K Babu and other top officials, including District Collect M G Rajamanikyam and MLAs received the evacuees at the airport. Though the fight was expected to land at around 2200 hrs, it was delayed for about five hours because of completion of the formalities at Djibouti and finally took off at around 2130 hrs Indian time, sources said.
According to NORKA officials, the first batch of evacuees who arrived at the airport included families, large number of children and women.
The second IAF flight carrying 190 passengers, including 30 Malayalees, landed at the Mumbai airport in the early hours of today, they added.
While families of those who arrived today heaved a sigh of relief, those, whose dear ones had not arrived and were still stranded in trouble-torn Yemen, expressed concern. Parents of Jincy and Tincy, two nurses working with government hospitals in Yemen, were worried very much about their elder daughter, whose flight from Sanaa was cancelled even after a boarding pass was issued.
Sharing their happiness with the reporters at the airport, parents of Jincy said they were thankful to the God for her safe return from the war-torn Yemen. However, still they were waiting their elder daughter, Tincy, who was in Sanaa, and hoped that she also would reach home safely soon.
(AGENCIES)
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