Eight Indians lost their lives in the Middle East war… External Affairs Ministry claims that around 55 lakh people have returned to their homeland so far.

New Delhi. Amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said eight Indian nationals have lost their lives in “various incidents” in the region, while one is still missing. Speaking at an inter-ministerial press conference here on the situation in West Asia, Asim R Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs, also said, “An Indian citizen unfortunately lost his life in an attack in Kuwait yesterday.” However, he did not elaborate on the reasons for this death.

He said, “We express our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. Our Embassy in Kuwait is in touch with the family of the deceased and is coordinating with the local authorities to provide all possible assistance and to bring back his mortal remains to India at the earliest.” On March 20, at an inter-ministerial press conference on the situation in West Asia, Mahajan had told reporters that six Indian citizens had lost their lives in various incidents, while one citizen was missing.

“Unfortunately, eight Indian nationals have lost their lives and one Indian national is missing in various incidents,” he said in an update on Monday. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia recently said that the events of March 18 led to the death of an Indian citizen in Riyadh. The ministry had also informed that since February 28, about 55 lakh passengers have returned to India from this region.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday reiterated that it is continuously monitoring the changing situation in the Gulf and West Asia region. “We call for restraint and de-escalation, while emphasizing dialogue and diplomacy as a means to quickly end the conflict,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman on March 28 and discussed the ongoing conflict in West Asia and agreed on the need to ensure freedom of navigation. He said the Prime Minister, in his telephone conversation, also reiterated India’s condemnation of the attacks on regional energy infrastructure.

Mahajan said the safety and welfare of the large Indian community living in the region is “our top priority”. He said, “Our dedicated special control room is operational… Our missions and embassies across the region are working round the clock, operating 24-hour helplines, regularly issuing updated advisories and actively engaging with Indian community associations, organizations and Indian companies spread across the region.”

Furthermore, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has notified the assessment scheme for the declaration of Class 10 and 12 results in the region after the exams were canceled due to the ongoing conflict. The Ministry of External Affairs said that academic concerns, especially those related to CBSE, ICSE, Kerala Board and JEE and NEET examinations, are being addressed through regular contact with parents and students.

At the same time, special attention is being given to the welfare of Indian seafarers, she said. She said the Indian mission is in constant touch with the Indian crew members deployed on ships in the area to provide assistance to them. Mahajan said airlines continue to operate limited non-scheduled flights between India and the UAE.

The ministry said that flights are being operated from various airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman to various destinations in India. With Qatar’s airspace partially open, Qatar Airways is expected to operate around 10 flights to India on March 30. The Foreign Ministry official said that the airspace of Kuwait and Bahrain is still closed. Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways and Bahrain’s Gulf Air are operating irregular commercial flights from Saudi Arabian airports to various destinations in India, the official said.

He said, “Due to flight restrictions and closure of airspace, we are facilitating Indian citizens to come to India from Iran via Armenia and Azerbaijan, … and to come to India from Israel, from Egypt and Jordan, from Iraq to India via Jordan and Saudi Arabia and from Kuwait and Bahrain to India via Saudi Arabia.”