One Indian missing, three Indians in hospital with injuries from bombing.
DUBAI: About 620 Indians and ten Nepalese are being evacuated from Beirut by Indian naval ships later today as Israel continued the bombing of Lebanon targeting Hezbollah rebels.
One Indian is still missing while three Indian workers have been hospitalised with injuries suffered from the bombing, the Indian ambassador Nengcha Louvum said. “Their injuries are not serious” she told DNA on phone adding that the injured are probably in a hospital in Zahle in the Beqaa valley.
The Indians were employed by a bottling plant in Chtaura, 44 kms from Beirut, which is the base for tourists to the Beqaa and the area’s banking and commercial centre. Suspected Hezbollah targets from Beirut to Beqaa in the south are being systematically hit by Israeli gunships.
The ambassador said ten Nepalese and a couple of Americans of Indian origin were also being evacuated by the ships. “There are no Sri Lankans in this batch”, she said. Most of the Indians being sent home are expatriate workers in Lebanon.
About 100 Indians have been evacuated by road. Three officers working at the embassy and ten families of Indian diplomats have already left by road to India.
There are an estimated 13,000 Indians in Lebanon. Sri Lanka, which has about 80,000 citizens there, is also trying to evacuate those who want to leave.
Many ships are awaiting their turn at Beirut to evacuate foreigners trapped in the embattled nation. The Indian embassy officials said they have more or less completed the documentation for the ships to dock. More than 600 Indian troops are also in Lebanon as part of the UN peace keeping force.
