Navy launches major 'Samudra Setu' evacuation operation, first two warships to bring 1,000 Indians from Maldives

Rajat Pandit | TNN | May 5, 2020, 20:21 IST

INS Magar

NEW DELHI: Around 1,000 stranded Indians will be brought home from Maldives by two amphibious warships under Phase-I of the major evacuation operation called “Samudra Setu” (sea bridge) launched by the Navy on Tuesday.
The two warships, the 16,900-tonne INS Jalashwa and 5,750-tonne INS Magar, will reach Male on May 8 and 10, respectively. “The warships, which have medical facilities onboard and will adhere to strict Covid-related social distancing and other protocols, will then head back to disembark the around 1,000 evacuees at Kochi (Kerala). The evacuees will be entrusted to the care of state authorities,” said Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal.

INS Jalashwa

Under the overall Samudra Setu operation, the Navy is also keeping 12 other warships on the standby for the proposed mass evacuation of Indians from the Gulf region. Two of them are already out at sea and will head to UAE if the government decides to deploy them to that country.
In Maldives, the Indian mission is preparing a list of Indian nationals to be evacuated by the first two naval warships and will facilitate their embarkation after the requisite medical screening.
“The warships have been suitably provisioned for the evacuation operation. The evacuees would be provided with the basic amenities and medical facilities during the sea-passage. In view of the unique challenges associated with Covid-19 stringent protocols have also been stipulated,” said Commander Madhwal.