Indian Navy successfully brought back 698 nationals from Maldives through the INS Jalashwa that arrived at Kochi Harbour on Sunday. Among them, there are 19 pregnant women as well.
“OP# Samudra Setu #Jalashwa with 698 Indian citizens embarked from Maldivesat Kochi, Kerala,” a spokesperson of Indian Navy tweeted.
As part of the Mission Samudra Setu, INS Jalashwa reached Maldives on May 7 to evacuate Indian nationals. It left for Kochi from Maldives on May 8 with 698 Indians onboard who were stranded there due to the countrywide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources have said that around 1800-2000 Indians will be evacuated on two ships – INS Jalshwa and INS Magar - from the Maldives in the first phase of repatriation from the Indian Ocean island nation.
About 4500 of approximately 27,000 Indians in the Maldives have reportedly conveyed the wish to travel back.
The government had tasked the navy to bring back stranded Indian nationals from Maldives as part of phase one of evacuation that began on May 8.
Notably, similar evacuation operations have been carried out by the navy in the past as well, including Operation Sukoon in 2006 and Operation Rahat in 2015.
