New Delhi: Six more Indian nationals evacuated from war-torn Syria arrived at the Delhi airport on Saturday. They expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian embassy for bringing them back home.
Indian nationals who returned to India shared their experience of staying in Syria over the past few days and how the embassy helped them return to India.
Recounting how the embassy helped him, an Indian national, Sunil Dutt, said, "On last Thursday we received a call from the Embassy that according to recent development, things are getting worse so immediately we have to evacuate the country. We came to Damascus and were in constant touch with the Indian embassy. Things immediately changed in Damascus. On Sunday rebels took over, and people were looting the shops and vehicles. eople from the Embassy were in constant touch with us. They told us to stay calm and take safety precautions. We were very comfortable. Today we are safe because of Modi ji. Under the direction of Modi ji the MEA has executed and corporated very well."
Another Indian national Ratan Lal said that he had been living in Syria for the past 5 years. He said that the Indian embassy supported them and provided them food, and accommodation.
"I have been there for the past 5 years, Embassy contacted us and asked us to come to Damascus. Embassy supported us, and gave us a room. Modi ji has worked well," he said.
Chetan Lal, who was among those who returned from Syria said that the embassy provided him with a safe residence in Damascus as well as in Lebanon via which Indian nationals returned to the national capital.
"What happened now in Syria has never happened before. The embassy contacted us and took us to the safe residence. We came to India vis Lebanon. We stayed in Lebanon for 4 days. We are very happy with Modi Ji, We couldn't have done anything, the embassy worked well. We are very happy to be back in India," Chetan Lal said.
Earlier on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that 77 Indian nationals had been evacuated from strife torn Syria so far. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian embassies in Middle East region are in touch with Indians there and will help them if need arises.The spokesperson also said that there is no need for evacuation from any other country as of now.
The situation in Syria remains a focal point after Syrian rebels entered Damascus on Sunday, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee from the country, ending his over two-decade rule in the country.