Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
Mumbai, Feb 26 : Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday received the first batch of Indians who came from war-hit Ukraine by Air India’s evacuation flight in Mumbai. The flight had taken off from the Henri Coanda International Airport, Bucharest, Romania this afternoon and brought home 219 passengers mostly students. Goyal asked the returning passengers to speak to their friends still in Ukraine and reassure them not to worry. He said the government is working in mission mode to ensure safety of the citizens. The Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken with the Ukrainian President and stressed about the safety of Indian citizens. The Minister informed that the Russians have also promised to help evacuate all Indians. Goyal said that more evacuation flights are being operated and the second flight is likely to land in Delhi in the wee hours of Sunday. As many as 16,000 Indians mostly students are stuck in war-hit Ukraine and are awaiting their return to home. Most students are enrolled in various universities in Ukraine for programmes in medicine and engineering. With fighting between Russia and Ukraine intensifying, rescue operations have become challenging.
