Operation Kaveri in full swing as MoS Muraleedharan reaches Jeddah to oversee rescue

Indians evacuated from Sudan port arriving in Jeddah (Image courtesy: MEA)

Jeddah: Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key country which is ferrying out stranded citizens stuck in Sudan warzone. The Kingdom is playing a very important role in the evacuation process and India has already established close contact since the fighting broke out on April 14.

Red Sea Port city Jeddah in Saudi Arabia has become a crucial point for foreigners in Sudan to escape and reach safe haven.

Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan arrived here on Tuesday to oversee rescue Operation Kaveri at the control room in Jeddah. India has begun ‘Operation Kaveri’ – a rescue operation by the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force to rescue Indians stranded in the war-hit African country. The control room was set up to facilitate evacuation and also ensured that necessary infrastructure was in place both in Sudan Port and Jeddah.

“I express my profound gratitude to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, for making a part of Operation Kaveri to bring back stranded Indians safely from Sudan,” said Muraleedharan.

“Team is in full readiness on the ground,” Muraleedharan said in Jeddah.

The Minister will receive the first batch of Indians evacuated from Sudan port and who boarded INS Sumedha and are headed to Jeddah and expected to arrive in late evening of Tuesday, from here they would be flown to India.

The evacuees will be accommodated at an Indian school in Jeddah.

“There are 278 Indians on board this ship and there are close to 250 more who will be ferried to Jeddah,” according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Another ship, INS Teg also pressed into the rescue mission that reached Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies, according to officials.

Two Indian Air Force aircraft are parked in Jeddah to bring the Indians back to India. C130J aircraft has a capacity of 300 people so a few sorties would have to be made to India to bring the people back.

Watch: 278 Indians leave Sudan warzone as more Navy ships join Operation Kaveri

Irfan Mohammed

Writer