INS Magar leaves for Kochi with 202 Indian nationals

This is the second ship that Indian Navy has deployed to bring Indian nationals stranded in Maldives due to lockdown.

Earlier, INS Jalashwa, the first ship carrying 698 evacuees from Maldives under Operation Samudra Setu, reached Kochi harbour this morning, an Indian Navy spokesperson said.

INS Magar, designed for landing operations, had made all necessary logistic, medical and administrative preparations at her base port Kochi to comfortably accommodate civilians before setting sail towards Maldives.

Even as heavy rains at Male made conditions difficult, the ship made arrangements to ensure safety of people.

“A total of 202 personnel have embarked the ship, which includes 24 women, two expectant mothers and two children. One of the men, who hails from Tamil Nadu, has a fractured leg,” Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said in a statement.

In line with the procedure followed on May 8, the evacuees were screened medically, their baggage disinfected and were allotted IDs as per various zones earmarked on board the ship.

“An entirely separate section of the ship with essential facilities like food and washrooms has been prepared to accommodate the evacuees and a separate mess has been allotted for ladies, infants and senior citizens,” an official said.

The evacuees have been divided into groups to avoid crowding at common areas like the dining hall and bathrooms.

The ship will reach Kochi harbour on May 12.

Air India is operating 64 repatriation flights from May 7 to May 14 while the Navy has deployed two ships as India rolled out a massive evacuation plan on Tuesday to bring back thousands of its nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus lockdown.