44 pilgrims from J&K among 75 Indians evacuated from Syria: MEA

New Delhi, Dec 11: The Government of India today evacuated 75 Indian nationals from Syria following recent developments in that country.

The evacuees included 44 ‘zaireen’ from Jammu & Kashmir who were stranded at Sayyidah Zainab. All Indian nationals have safely crossed over to Lebanon and will return by available commercial flights to India, the MEA press release said.

“The evacuation coordinated by the embassies of India in Damascus and Beirut was put into effect following our assessment of the security situation and requests from Indian nationals in Syria,” the press release read, adding that the Government of India accords the highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad.

The press release again advised Indian nationals remaining in Syria to stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Damascus at their emergency helpline number +963 993385973 (also on WhatsApp) and email ID (hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in) for updates. The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely, the MEA press release said.

Earlier, the government issued a travel advisory discouraging Indians from travelling to Syria, where the situation continues to remain grim despite the change of regime in the country.