CHENNAI: As many as 192 Tamils stranded in Bahrain for over 18 days were successfully evacuated to Chennai on a special flight on Thursday.
The evacuation was coordinated by members of the Bahrain Tamil Sangam, who made special arrangements to prioritise the return of vulnerable individuals, including elderly people, pregnant women, children, and patients from Tamil Nadu.
The war tensions involving Israel, the United States, and Iran since February 28 have resulted in airspace closures across several Middle Eastern and Gulf countries, leading to the suspension of regular flight services, leaving many Indians, including a large number of Tamils, stranded in Bahrain.
The Bahrain Tamil Sangam came up with a special evacuation plan. However, Gulf Air, which operates direct flights from Bahrain to Chennai, initially said that it could not operate flights under the prevailing conditions. Later, Gulf Air agreed to operate a special flight from Dammam in Saudi Arabia, which is located near Bahrain. Eventually, arrangements were made to transport the stranded passengers from Bahrain to Dammam on buses.
A total of 192 passengers were airlifted from Dammam on a special Gulf Air flight on Wednesday night (March 18). It is also said that the Tamil Sangam and charitable organisations took care of airfare for some passengers who could not afford to pay.
The special flight arrived at Chennai International Airport on Thursday morning. All 192 passengers were received by members of the Tamil Sangam, who also made travel arrangements to their hometowns. Another batch of evacuees is expected to depart Bahrain on the 21st night and arrive in Chennai early Sunday morning.