Indian students who experienced 'war-like situation' with missile attacks and bombings in Iran during its conflict with Israel over the last few days, one of them told the media, "I hope no student has to face what we did."
India launched Operation Sindhu to bring back Indian nationals stranded in troubled Iran, which consists of a a huge number of students.
The first evacuation flight arrived in Delhi in the early hours of Thursday carrying 110 Indian students.
The students, including 90 from Jammu and Kashmir, were moved from Tehran to Armenia earlier this week as explosions and aerial attacks rocked Iranian cities. The rescue was coordinated by the Indian Embassy.
Students Share Terrifying Experience
MBBS student Mir Khalif who landed in Dlehi on thursday, spoke to PTI and said, "We saw missiles in the sky and heard bombs in our neighbourhood... We were petrified".
Khalif described the experience in Iran as a nightmare and thanked the Indian government for evacuating them first to Armenia and then bringing them back home.
He described the situation as 'a war zone', adding "Our building shook during the attacks. I hope no student has to face what we did."
"There are students still stuck in Iran. They are being relocated to safer places. We hope they will also be airlifted to India soon," he added.
Varta, a student from Kashmir, recalled the fear she lived through.
"We were the first ones to be evacuated from Iran. The situation was quite critical. We were terrified. We thank the Indian government and the Indian Embassy, which worked very fast and swiftly to bring us here.
"Our neighbourhood was attacked. When the Indian government came to our doorstep, it felt like home," she told PTI.
Ali Akbar, a student from Delhi, said the destruction was visible everywhere.
"We saw a missile and a drone fall from the sky while travelling in a bus. Tehran is in ruins. The images on the news are real, the situation is very bad," he reportedly said.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh reached the Delhi airport to receive the students.
Later, in a post on X, he said, "Warmly welcomed home the first group of 110 Indian nationals evacuated from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu, reaffirming India's steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of its citizens abroad." Singh also shared some photos of the arrival of Indian nationals at the airport.
Singh confirmed that evacuation efforts under Operation Sindhu are ongoing, with more flights scheduled.
"We have planes ready. We will be sending another plane today. We are evacuating some more people from Turkmenistan. Our missions have opened 24-hour helplines for any request for evacuation. As the situation evolves, we will be sending more planes to evacuate Indian nationals," he said.
The Union minister thanked governments in Turkmenistan and Armenia for their support.
Officials on Wednesday had said that the first evacuation flight of Indian nationals being moved out of Iran was to arrive in India from the Armenian capital of Yerevan in the early hours of June 19.
Meanwhile, at the Delhi airport, several parents waited anxiously to reunite with their children.
