Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 14: More than 70 Indian students stranded in Iran, the majority of them from J&K, are returning safely to India and are set to reach New Delhi on Sunday morning, the J&K Students Association (JKSA) said today
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In a statement, the Association’s National Convenor Nasir Khuehami said the students are travelling on Flydubai Flight FZ8124, which departed from Zvartnots International Airport carrying more than 70 Indian students along with other passengers.
Most of those on board are students from Kashmir studying at different universities in Iran, he said.
Khuehami said the first leg of the journey departed from Yerevan to Dubai International Airport at 13:25 (Armenia time) on March 14 and is expected to arrive in Dubai at 17:00 (Dubai time).
From Dubai, the students will board another Flydubai connecting flight, FZ441, scheduled to depart at 05:05 (Dubai time) and expected to land at Indira Gandhi International Airport at approximately 9:55 AM (IST) on Sunday.
The Association said the students had been stranded in Iran due to the deteriorating security situation in the region.
Most of them are studying at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and other universities across Iran, it said.
Before boarding the flight, the students travelled by buses from different cities in Iran and undertook a long land journey to Armenia, reaching Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan to board the evacuation flight.
Earlier, the students were shifted to safer locations by the Embassy of India, Tehran.
Meanwhile, another group of stranded students studying in Kerman has been moved to the relatively safer city of Qom as a precautionary measure.
The Association said it has been working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, India, the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi and Indian missions in Tehran and Yerevan to secure land-transit permits and airline seats for the stranded students.
“The evacuation route through Armenia was arranged following requests and concerns raised by the students.”
Khuehami said the issue was raised with Vikram Misri last week, after which the required permissions for land transit and travel were granted.
The Association also said the Ministry of External Affairs has advised Indian students currently in Iran to avoid sharing their exact locations or personal details on social media as a precautionary measure amid the volatile situation.
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