Twelve students from Karnataka, who were stranded in Ukraine, landed in Mumbai on Saturday and will reach Bengaluru at 8.50 a.m. Sunday (Feb. 27). In another evacuation operation by the Indian embassy in Kyiv, five students from Karnataka will arrive in New Delhi at 7.45 a.m. by an Air India flight from Budapest. The Karnataka Government has opened a facilitation centre at IGI Airport in New Delhi to coordinate and support students from Karnataka who have been evacuated.
As many as 387 people from Karnataka are currently trapped in war-torn Ukraine as per data provided by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) on Saturday evening. Of these, 127 are from Bengaluru Urban, 28 from Mysuru, 23 from Bagalkot, 16 from Tumakuru and the rest from other districts.
Though there were reports of people from the State stranded in Ukraine unable to access the web portal launched by KSDMA, officials said that they received the maximum number of submissions on Friday.
Of the 387 people stranded (including 180 women and 207 men), 300 are said to be stranded in urban areas and 87 in rural areas in Ukraine. Data also showed that a majority of those stranded are in the 19-22 age group.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday stated that the Government would help students from Karnataka, who have landed in either Mumbai or Delhi from Ukraine, to reach their homes. Details of students from the State stranded in Ukraine have been sent to the Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar. The Union minister has assured help for evacuation of students from Eastern Ukraine by road, he said.
Many students are near Kharkiv, which is in the north-eastern part of Ukraine. “I have also spoken to some students there. I have asked them to be brave,” he said.
Admitting that many Indians are stuck in areas where Russian forces have launched attacks, Mr. Bommai said no one is harmed. However, he admitted that students did not have access to many facilities as they seek refuge in bunkers and metro stations.
