TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ A total of 698 Indian nationals stranded in the Maldives due to the COVID-19 linked international travel restrictions were evacuated on Friday from the scenic island nation on an Indian Navy warship.”Op #SamudraSetu. #INSJalashwa set sail from #Male, #Maldives tonight bringing back 698 of our citizens,” the spokesperson of the Indian Navy tweeted.
“Bon Voyage! #INSJalashwa departs from Male port for Kochi with 698 Indian nationals on board,” the Indian High Commission in Maldives tweeted. India’s high commissioner in the Maldives, Sunjay Sudhir earlier expressed his deep gratitude to the Indian Navy, the Government of Maldives and its agencies for extending complete cooperation for the success of the massive evacuation of Indian nationals.
An Indian Navy spokesman said there were a number of pregnant women and children among the evacuees who will travel to Kochi in Kerala. The INS Jalashwa, the Navy’s amphibious warship, reached Male on Thursday to undertake the massive repatriation mission named ‘Operation Samudra Setu’ (Sea Bridge).
