Malayalees stranded in Karachi to arrive today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Malayalees stranded at the Karachi airport in Pakistan will be brought home today. They reached Colombo by air yesterday afternoon. They will reach Delhi on a Sri Lankan Airways flight at 12.30 am today (Tuesday). They will reach Kochi on an Air India flight in the morning.

Eight Indians, including Krishna Das Nagalur, a native of Kodumbu in Palakkad, his wife Dr. Rashmi Menon, and daughter Smriti Menon (3), were stranded at the Karachi airport in Pakistan. They were supposed to travel from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Kuwait via Sharjah.

The Air Arabia flight had to make an emergency landing at Karachi International Airport due to the war situation. The Malayali passengers sought help from Norka Roots through Manikuttan Edakkatt, a member of the Loka Kerala Sabha from Kuwait. The Union Ministry of External Affairs then coordinated the arrangements to bring them to India. Shelter facilities have been provided to those stranded at airports in the Gulf on transit visas with the support of expatriate organisations and representatives of the Loka Kerala Sabha. Companies and countries have provided hotel accommodation to those stranded after the flights were cancelled.