Egypt protests: Third batch of Indians arrive in Mumbai

Mumbai, Feb 3 (PTI) Another batch of Indians, who werecaught in the violent unrest in Cairo over the demand forouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, reached here by aspecial "ferry" flight of Air India today.

The special flight AI-161, a Boeing 747-800 aircraft,carrying 212 passengers on board landed at 5.22 AM at thecity''s Chhattrapati Shivaji International Airport, an AirIndia spokesperson said.The passengers included a group of 48 staffers of thejoint-venture company TCI Sunmar Chemicals, based in Portsidecity, some 200 kms from Cairo, who have been recalled by thecompany till the situation improves in the strife-hit Africancountry."Since the plant is shut for the past few days in thewake of protests, the company decided to recall us. However,as soon as the situation improves we will be joining back thePortside plant again," a TCI Sunmark employee said.

"We decided to leave the country as the ATMs had runout of cash and there was a possibility of food supplyshortage," said Manish, an employee of Asian Paints, who hasbeen on deputation to Cairo and living there since the pastone-and-half years.This was the third flight which Air India operated inthe last four days. The national carrier has alreadytransported 534 people back home, including 46 children andtwo infants, in two flights which it operated as a specialmeasure to airlift Indians stranded in Cairo.