First batch of evacuees from Lebanon arrives

Chennai, July 21 (UNI) The first batch of 341 Indian evacuees from the war-torn Lebanon arrived here from Cyprus late tonight.

They arrived by Air India flight 414 which landed at the Anna International airport here at 2300 hrs.

The evacuees, hailing from Tamil Nadu, were received at the airport here by Minister of State for External Affiars Vayalar Ravi and State Ministers M R K Panneerselvam and Thangam Thennarasu.

A total of 607 passengers reached India by two special Air India aircraft from the war-torn Lebanon. Of them 441 were from Tamil Nadu.

While one of the two aircraft, comprising 341 evacuees belonging to Tamil Nadu, landed in Chennai, the other landed at Mumbai with the remaining passengers.

Since all the passengers from Tamil Nadu could not be flown in the Chennai-bound flight, about 100 of them were flown to Mumbai in the other aircraft. They were expected to be brought to Chennai tomorrow, official sources said.

In one of the largest single evacuation exercises during the nine-day old West Asian crisis, India yesterday pulled out 607 of its nationals from Lebanon to Larnaca in Cyprus, from where they were airlifted home.

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