Some Indian students in Iran await evacuation, others relocated to safer places

New Delhi: Mehreen Zaffar, an Indian student at Iran's Tehran University of Medical Sciences has been living in fear amid sounds of air raid sirens and blackouts. She is one among more than 70 Indian students who are waiting to be evacuated from Iran which is engaged in a military conflict with Israel.

"Iran is on black alert. We do not know what is happening. We have been kept in a basement for safety purposes but we are scared. Since the internet is weak, we are unable to even contact our family members. Back home, they are worried for our safety," she told PTI in a distressed voice.

The third-year MBBS student staying in Iran's capital Tehran said it was a "horrible" situation. "We have been calling for help but have not received anything. We do not know anything. We want evacuation. We have full hopes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and we need help. We cannot stay like this," she added.

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Faizan Nabi, a 21-year-old student at the Kerman University of Medical Sciences, said he has started packing his bags. "The situation is not as bad here (Kerman) as in Tehran. But there is still fear. We are hoping that we will be relocated to some safe location soon," he added.

Students being evacuated

Huzaif Malik, a student at the Urmia University of Medical Sciences, was one of the students who were evacuated to Armenia by the Indian authorities. "We were in Urmia which was relatively safe. We have reached Armenia ," he said.

Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city, 110 of them crossing the border into Armenia through arrangements made by the Embassy. According to the Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association, all the Indian students who had crossed the Iran-Armenia border have now safely reached the capital city, Yerevan.

They have been received and accommodated at their designated location in hotels. Their flight from Armenia to Delhi is scheduled for Wednesday, with all necessary arrangements being facilitated in coordination with the Indian authorities, it said. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said the Indian Embassy remains continuously in touch with the community with a view to extending all feasible assistance.