Several from Pune head home from Sudan

“We held a meeting where representatives of the company management, embassy officials and travel agency were present. At least 60 workers whose contracts have ended and 20 others who are living with their families were told they will be part of the first batch to leave for Port Sudan,” Charles Mendes, who is from Mumbai and has been working in Rabak city of Sudan for the last two years, earlier said over phone.

The workers were told that every couple of days, a batch would leave for India. “It takes hours to reach Port Sudan. We have been told that we will be taken to Saudi Arabia by an Indian Navy ship and from there, we will be taken to India by flight,” Mendes said.

“We are 170 people from Maharashtra who are working at a sugar factory called Kenana Sugar Company. From Pune district, there must be 60 workers. There are 450 Indians working at the factory,” Mendes, who works as a supervisor, added.

He said there is fear among the workers about possible attacks as the fighting intensifies. “Though we have been told that the fighting is going on some 400 km away, we fear that we may also be attacked in the coming days. We have been told to stay put in our complex which is spread over a five km area,” he said.

The workers have been getting frantic calls from families back in India. “We have been inundated by calls from our families. As a result, there is anxiety and constant fear on our minds. The Indian government should make all efforts to evacuate all the Indians,” he said.

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Officials with Pune District Disaster Management Cell said it has not received any information on the stranded Indians from the district from authorities coordinating the evacuation. “Families of the stranded Indians have not contacted us yet. The operations are being coordinated by the State Disaster Management Authority which is based in Mumbai,” an official said.