21 Tamils safely evacuated from Israel reach TN
Of the repatriated Tamils, 14 persons reached Chennai and another seven persons reached Coimbatore using air tickets arranged by the Tamil Nadu government.
21 residents of Tamil Nadu, who returned from Israel earlier today, arrive in Chennai. They were welcomed by Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian
CHENNAI: The airports here witnessed emotional scenes on Friday as relatives met with their dear ones who returned from Israel, which witnessed a series of brazen attacks by Hamas militants over the weekend.
Of the 21 people from Tamil Nadu, all students, 14 reached Chennai airport on Indigo Airlines, while the remaining seven from western districts reached Coimbatore via Vistara Airlines flight from Delhi.
Those who landed in Chennai were natives of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Theni, Cuddalore, Tiruchy, Madurai and Dindigul apart from those from the district. Those who landed in Coimbatore were from Coimbatore, Karur, Namakkal and The Nilgiris districts.
“Every time when sirens blare, informing us of attacks, we used to rush into safe rooms. It’s nothing new for those living in Israel, but we found it extremely scary,” said M Divagar from The Nilgiris, pursuing post doctoral studies in agriculture in Central Israel, which was "relatively safer" than other regions.
Gokul Manavalan of Theni, a research student, said once the war started the embassy were in touch with them and guiding them. "Reaching Chennai, I am relieved. Communication was an issue, I couldn't even reach out to family and friends here," Manavalan said.
The students claimed they did not face any shortage of food or water and had uninterrupted power. “However, we were warned of disruptions in essential services, if war intensifies. So we had no option but to leave," said Divagar, adding that he hopes to return to continue studies once the situation turns normal.
"I have a visa for three years. Hope the war will end soon and I can go back and continue my research there," said Manikandan.
Health Minister Ma Subramanian and north Chennai MP Kalanidhi Veerasamy and Commissioner of Overseas Tamils Welfare Jacinda Lazarus received those who landed at the Chennai airport.
Said Coimbatore District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, who received the students at the Coimbatore airport, “Travel arrangements have been made for them to reach their destinations on behalf of the State government.
Though they haven’t encountered any trauma or personal threats, they arrived on the directives of the government considering their safety.”