NEW DELHI: “It was like we were on a deathbed,” recalled a relieved Sukhvinder Singh from Haryana as he arrived at the Delhi airport from Saudi Arabia after being evacuated from strife-torn Sudan.
In his mid-40s, the engineer was among the first batch of 360 Indian nationals who returned home on Wednesday night under India’s ‘Operation Kaveri’ evacuation mission.
Singh, a native of Faridabad in Haryana, recalled his ordeal in Sudan and said he was “still very scared”.
“We were living in one area, confined to one room. It was like we were on a deathbed,” he told PTI before making his way home.
India has evacuated at least 670 Indian nationals from Sudan and is looking to rescue more of its citizens from the strife-torn African nation before the end of a tenuous ceasefire between the regular army and a paramilitary force.
Chhotu, a factory worker who hails from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was in a state of disbelief and exclaimed, “‘Marke wapas aa gaya (have returned after almost dying)’.”
“Now, I will never return to Sudan. I will do anything in this country but won’t go back,” he told PTI shortly after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter to share images of the evacuees after their arrival at the Delhi airport.
“India welcomes back its own. Operation Kaveri brings 360 Indian nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi,” he tweeted.
At the airport’s Terminal 3, as people deboarded the aircraft of Saudia — a Saudi Arabian airline — and slowly streamed on to the arrivals lounge area, smiles could be seen on the faces of many who went through tense moments over the past few days.
Many waved emphatically, displaying a visible sign of relief, while others shook hands on the skybridge as they were welcomed on their return.
Several were seen carrying their luggage, accompanied by children. They also obliged a few photographers with pictures upon their safe return.
Tasmer Singh (60), an evacuee who hails from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, described his experience during the ongoing strife as horrifying.
“We were like a dead body, roaming in a small house without power, water. We never imagined that we will face this kind of a situation in our lives but thank God, we are alive,” he said.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group for the last 12 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.