By Shakir Husain
NEW DELHI, March 24 (NNN-BERNAMA) — A new batch of 189 stranded Malaysians flew back home from India on a special AirAsia flight on Tuesday.
They left from Chennai for Kuala Lumpur in the early hours as part of the ongoing evacuation of Malaysian citizens stuck in India due to the suspension of air travel following the coronavirus outbreak.
Another chartered AirAsia flight planned from Tiruchirappalli could not receive Indian approval “due to unforeseen circumstances,” said K. Saravanan, consul general of Malaysia in Chennai.
There were 1,726 Malaysians listed with the consulate for evacuation on Monday.
“The consulate is monitoring the situation and we would like to assure fellow citizens that both governments are working proactively to help them reunite with their loved ones soon,” Saravanan told Bernama.
About 400 Malaysians are in touch with the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi and hoping to fly out when the Indian government allows more evacuation flights by Malaysia-based carriers.
The 189 evacuees from Chennai on Tuesday included three infants.
The number of Malaysians who have left India on five special flights since March 18 is 699.
— NNN-BERNAMA