Russian evacuation stalled, French contingent leaves

Stranded Russian tourists who were scheduled to be evacuated on Saturday from Thiruvananthapuram, were not able to leave India with Russian authorities closing down the airspace. The evacuation by Ural Airlines was scheduled to happen by 2 pm.

The Russian Embassy in Delhi, the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Thiruvananthapuram, Ratheesh C Nair and others are in continuous dialogue with the concerned officials to pave the way for the departure.

Most of the stranded Russian tourists are women and youngsters who were camping in Varkala, one of Kerala’s most scenic beaches. A WhatsApp group was created to coordinate the efforts and service of a Russian psychologist was made available to the tourists.

Meanwhile, the French tourists are on way to Paris on an Air India flight. Kerala Tourism and Consulate General of France in Pondicherry worked together for making the arrangements for the 112 tourists to return home.

Kerala Tourism secretary Rani George IAS thanked all the officials concerned, in enabling the evacuation.