VISAKHAPATNAM: Indian medical students in Ukraine are leaving no stones unturned to escape from the war-torn country. Most of them have continued to travel towards the borders of neighbouring countries without enough food and water, braving extreme weather. Some of them have fallen sick due to weakness and dehydration.
Narendra Kumar Bhupal Kandregula of Munagapaka in Visakhapatnam district, who started along with his friends from Vinnytsia, which is around 40 km away from the capital Kyiv, took almost three days to cover 350 km to reach Lviv.
They used all modes of transport and walked over 60 to 70 kms to reach the Poland border on Sunday night. Though all of his friends managed to withstand the extreme weather, Narendra reportedly fell sick due to dehydration. He had to be admitted to a hospital in Poland.
Speaking to TNIE, Chaitanya Charan, Narendra’s brother, said they could not contact Narendra after he had reached the Polish border. However, they felt relieved after Narendra’s friend told him on Tuesday that they were safe and waiting for immigration.
He said at a time when they were waiting for Narendra’s arrival, an Indian Embassy official contacted them on Friday and informed that Narendra had taken ill due to dehydration. The official also told them that Narendra was recovering well and there was nothing to worry about.
Chaitanya said the Indian Embassy official, Pankaj Garg, who is stationed in Poland, contacted them again on Saturday and told them that Narendra has fully recovered and has been shifted to a place where some Telugu students were staying. Chaitanya said the official took Narendra in his car to the room and also arranged a video call. He said they were thankful to the officials for helping the stranded Indians.
Chaitanya said Narendra was lucky as he fell sick after crossing the border and medical immediate medical aid could be provided to him.
Meanwhile, Jitendra Kumar, a student of Kharkiv National Medical University, who reached India on Friday, said when they were standing in a queue for immigration at Poland check post a couple of students collapsed due to dehydration and fatigue.
They were shifted to a medical centre by the officials. Jitendra Kumar said the students are facing severe hardship due to a lack of proper food and water.