Hurricane Irma: 170 Indians evacuated Sint Maarten, confirms MEA

Sint Maarten, that is jointly administered by France and the Netherlands, was directly in Hurricane Irma's path.

New Delhi, Sep 13: Special flights chartered by the Indian government evacuated as many as 170 Indians from the hurricane Irma-hit Sint Maarten and brought them to the Caribbean island of Curacao.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Indian Envoy in Venezuela Rahul Srivastava has informed that 60 other people were also evacuated along with Indians from the hurricane-hit place.

Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said in a tweet late last night that 110 Indians and Indian-origin evacuees were brought to Curacao from Sint Maarten.

In a series of tweets, Swaraj today said the second flight carrying 60 Indians also landed in Curacao.

"Rahul Srivastava informed that second flight also landed in Curacao with 60 Indians and 30 others from St.Maarten," the minister said on the micro-blogging site.

Sint Maarten, that is jointly administered by France and the Netherlands, was directly in Hurricane Irma's path. The island suffered widespread destruction after the storm made landfall last week and wreaked havoc on the Caribbean islands.

Hurricane Irma, which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean islands and Florida, has resulted in deaths of 12 people. Irma cut a deadly path of destruction through the idyllic Key islands and deep inland in the southeastern US state.

PTI