Chennai students stranded in Sri Lankan floods rescued, return home safely
The students, comprising 22 women and 18 men from a private college in Tambaram, Chennai (MCC), had embarked on an educational tour to Malaysia on November 22.
Chennai Airport (Photo: Daily Thanthi)
CHENNAI: In a rescue operation facilitated by Indian diplomatic officials, a group of 40 students from Chennai, who were stranded for three days at the Colombo airport in Sri Lanka due to devastating cyclone-induced floods, safely returned to the city on a SriLankan Airlines flight on Sunday night.
The students, comprising 22 women and 18 men from a private college in Tambaram, Chennai (MCC), had embarked on an educational tour to Malaysia on November 22nd. Their return journey on November 28th, via Colombo on SriLankan Airlines, coincided with Cyclone Ditwah wreaking havoc across Sri Lanka, causing widespread flooding and travel chaos.
As a result, their connecting flight to Chennai was cancelled, leaving the entire group stranded at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo for three days. The situation was compounded by the severe weather conditions, which forced the closure of restaurants and shops, leaving the students struggling to even access food.
"The heavy rain and flood caused all the shops and food outlets to be closed, making it difficult to get meals," a source familiar with the situation reported.
The plight of the students came to light after the Tamil Nadu government, upon receiving information about Indian citizens being trapped in the Sri Lankan floods, alerted the Indian High Commission in Colombo through the Union Government. Indian embassy officials immediately sprang into action.
The officials ensured the students' safety by arranging secure accommodation and providing essential supplies, including food. Leveraging the students' existing confirmed connecting flight tickets, the High Commission personnel negotiated with SriLankan Airlines management to secure the group seats on the first available flight out of Colombo after the weather disruption.
The students were finally booked on the Sunday night SriLankan Airlines service, to depart for Chennai after a three-day halt. Upon their arrival at Chennai airport, the weary but relieved students were officially welcomed by officials from the Tamil Nadu government, marking a successful end to their harrowing ordeal.
