(Riya Saha, Intern Journalist)Indian Navy concluded it’s “Operation Samudra Setu”, a mission to bring back Indian citizens from foreign countries who were facing hardships due to COVID -19 pandemic.
A total of 3,992 citizens are repatriated by sea. Four navy ships — INS Jalashwa, INS Magar, INS Airavat and INS Shardul — evacuated Indians from Male in the Maldives, Colombo in Sri Lanka and Bandar Abbas in Iran. The passengers disembarked at Kochi, Tuticorin, and Porbandar.
The operation was launched on 5th May 2020 with evacuations from the Maldives the first phase of the plan. The INS Jalashwa picked up the first group of citizens, numbering 698, from Male on 8 May.
2,386 people were brought back to India from the Maldives, 686 from Sri Lanka, and 920 from Iran. The final ship left Bandar Abbas on 25 June and arrived at Tuticorin on 1 July.
Each ship was fully equipped with medical supplies, doctors, hygienists, and nutritionists. Passengers were allowed on board after medical screening and maintained on the ships following essential COVID-19 protocols.
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