All the 105 Indians, stranded in violence-hit Southern Kyrgyz towns of Osh and Jalal-Abad, have been evacuated to capital Bishkek and will return to India in the next few days as the death toll in five days of ethnic clashes climbed to 124.
Noting that a number of Indian nationals, primarily students, were stranded in southern Kyrgyzstan due to civil disturbances, the spokesperson of external affairs ministry Vishnu Prakash said, ?Despite the heavy odds, the embassy of India in Bishkek, in close coordination and support of the Kyrgyz authorities, managed to safely evacuate all the Indian nationals to Bishkek late last night.?
Asked about the discrepancy about the number of Indians who were safely rescued as the ministry on Monday had given a figure of 116 Indians stranded, the sources said it was based on the initial assessment which included some Bangladeshis and Nepalese nationals also.
Earlier the ministry had said, ?Our mission is in close and regular touch with several Indian nationals as well as with relevant departments of the Kyrgyz government, including the ministry of foreign affairs and security agencies.?
?Everything possible is being done to ensure the safety and well-being of the Indian nationals, within the constraints posed by the difficult ground situation.
Deadly riots swept through Osh and another southern city of Jalalabad on June 11 and 12, Kyrgyz news agency AKIpress reported.
The Kyrgyz interim government, which imposed curfew in the entire Jalalabad region, has allowed the police and troops to open fire in order to control the riots.
The humanitarian situation in southern Kyrgyzstan remains complicated as most businesses have closed down and residents have started facing acute shortages of food and medical supplies.