328 more Bangladeshis return from India
A total of 328 Bangladesh nationals who got stuck in India due to the current countrywide lockdown there returned home from New Delhi and Chennai on Friday afternoon by two special flights, reports UNB.
The returnees are mostly patients who went there for treatment, said the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi.
The flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines with 162 passengers arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while another chartered flight of US-Bangla Airlines with 166 passengers arrived here from Chennai.
There are some students among the returnees, too.
Another flight carrying 164 Bangladesh nationals is scheduled to arrive here from Chennai on Saturday who mostly got stuck at a hospital in Bangalore.
A team of Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi, led by high commissioner M Imran, provided required assistance to Bangladesh nationals at Indrira Gandhi International Airport before departure.
More similar flights will be operated, if required, through discussions between the two countries.
The foreign affairs ministry has so far facilitated the repatriation of over 2,000 stranded Bangladeshi citizens from China, India, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Oman and Turkey, including pilgrims, students, tourists, patients and their attendants, and businessmen.
The ministry said they are fully committed to working under the overall guidance of prime minister Sheikh Hasina during the critical moment of the coronavirus outbreak.
Bangladesh missions abroad are also instructed to look after the expatriate Bangladeshi community living in different countries.
Under the guidance of foreign ministry, the Bangladesh missions abroad have established 'hotline numbers' and many missions formed 'pool of doctors' to provide online medical advice to the expatriate Bangladeshis.
The government of Bangladesh has so far facilitated repatriation of 4,422 foreigners living in Bangladesh, said the MoFA on Thursday.
The citizens are from a number of countries, including Bhutan, Malaysia, the USA, Japan, Russia, Germany, Canada, Australia, the Maldives, Turkey, the UK and Singapore.
The MoFA shared the information highlighting a range of measures taken following the outbreak of Coronavirus in December 2019.
The foreign missions stationed in Dhaka facilitated the arrangement of chartered flights.
In most cases, the passengers are of Bangladesh origin and paid for their passages, according to the MoFA.
The foreigners who left mostly worked in various development projects and other professions whose projects are currently suspended, it said.