BENGALURU: A total of 109 Kannadigas are stranded in West Asia regions amid airspace disruptions. Of the 100 Kannadigas stranded in Dubai and nine in Bahrain, 32 hail from Ballari, 25 from Bengaluru, nine from Davanagere and the rest from other districts, revealed data shared by the state government.
The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) has been activated, and the government is coordinating with the Centre, Indian embassies in the region and airlines to ensure assistance and possible repatriation.
Revenue Department (Disaster Management) on March 1 notified that the state government has appointed Honnamba S, the commissioner of the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), as the nodal officer to coordinate assistance to the stranded Kannadigas.
On Monday, the Office of the Relief Commissioner and Principal Secretary said the latest advisory from the Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that the airspace over Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar continues to be closed.
As of 10 am on Monday, the details of the 109 Kannadigas stranded in the region were received by the SEOC and District Emergency Operations Centres (DEOCs) and it was forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi.
On the directions of the chief minister and the revenue minister, the SEOC and all DEOCs are active round-the-clock and are disseminating embassy-wise advisories and helpline numbers through official platforms, as well as social media. The authorities are in close coordination with the MEA’s Rapid Response Cell, sources said.
The stranded Kannadigas have been advised to follow local government guidelines, contact Indian embassies and consulates through designated helplines and register on official portals such as Sarthi Sahayata. Further standard operating procedures will be issued if evacuation is initiated by the MEA, the sources said.
213 from Karnataka arrive at Bengaluru airport
BENGALURU: In all, 213 Kannadigas stranded in Abu Dhabi due to airspace closure, following the US-Israel attack on Iran, returned safely to Bengaluru on Monday night. According to a Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) spokesperson, Etihad Airways flight EY238/239 arrived around 10pm Monday.
The return flight departed for Abu Dhabi at 11.10pm Monday. However, the outbound sector to Abu Dhabi is operating with restrictions. Meanwhile, Emirates is scheduled to operate an Airbus A380 (flight EK568/569) early Tuesday morning.
The departure to Dubai (DXB) will be restricted to UAE nationals and resident permit holders only. Airport authorities said operations are being carried out with necessary restrictions, in view of the prevailing situation in the region. Aniruddha, a resident of Bengaluru who was stranded at Abu Dhabi airport while returning from Canada for his wedding, arrived home safely and was received with joy and relief by his family.