When Ragini and Vineet Ahuja embarked on their honeymoon trip to Egypt earlier this month, the newly-weds had no inclination that a nightmare would be unfolding soon.
The couple is stranded at Cairo airport since Saturday evening. Flight schedules in and out of Egypt were disrupted after anti-government protests broke out seeking the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak.
“Our children had no means of communicating with us since mobile networks were also affected,” said Vijay Ahuja, Vineet’s father. The anxious family was finally able to get in touch with the couple on Sunday.
“We were horrified to learn that they had not eaten since Saturday. Also, there is no help desk or any other means to get information at the airport about when services will be resumed,” added the 55-year-old businessman, who lives at Napean Sea Road. When frantic calls to the Egypt embassy in Mumbai and the offices of Egypt Air yielded no results, the Ahuja family called up the Indian embassy in Cairo.
“They assured us that Indians stranded in Cairo were being flown out of the airport in charter planes. But my son and daughter-in-law are saying that there are several Indians tourists and businessmen at the airport and no one has been informed that the Indian government has any such plans,” said Vijay.
Meanwhile, the Indian Community Association Egypt (ICAE), a volunteer organisation that works closely with the Indian embassy in Cairo, is coordinating with Indians living or travelling in Egypt.
In a telephonic interview with DNA on Sunday evening, Harish Pillai, one of the board members of ICAE, said, “A chartered flight from Mumbai is scheduled to carry 280 passengers, including tourists, businessmen and Indian embassy staff members.”
Most Indians in Egypt are in white collar jobs. As of now, there are no reports of attacks on Indians or their properties.
The embassy has also set up a control room. Helpline numbers are: +202 27360556, +202 2736 0052 and +202 2735 6168.
