827 Indians evacuated from Iran so far as third flight lands in Delhi with 310 passengers

A third evacuation flight from Iran carrying 310 Indian nationals landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 4:30 pm on Saturday. The repatriation was part of ongoing efforts by the Indian government to evacuate its citizens amid rising regional tensions. With this flight, a total of 827 Indians have been brought back from Iran.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Saturday’s arrivals included 256 students, most of them from the Kashmir Valley. The students had been stranded in different parts of Iran and were moved to Mashhad, from where the Mahan Air flight departed. Families of the evacuees had been waiting for updates as the situation unfolded over recent days.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association issued a statement thanking the authorities involved. “Thanks to the Government of India for its efforts and timely coordination with Iranian authorities. We remain committed to ensuring the safe evacuation of all remaining students, especially those from vulnerable and remote regions,” it stated.

This was the second evacuation flight within 24 hours. On Friday night, another flight from Mashhad had arrived in Delhi with 290 Indian nationals on board. According to official updates, the repatriation efforts are being conducted under the operation codenamed Operation Sindhu, and more flights are expected to follow.

Iran facilitated the evacuations by allowing the use of its airspace for the repatriation flights. The students and other nationals were transported from Tehran to Mashhad before boarding. Another evacuation flight was scheduled to land around 11:30 pm Saturday, continuing the phased evacuation process.