Malayalis Stranded in Karachi Following West Asian Conflict Evacuated

Eight Indian citizens, including three Malayalis — Krishna Das Nagaloor from Palakkad, his wife Dr. Rashmi Menon from Kalady, Ernakulam, and their three-year-old daughter Smrithi — were stranded at Karachi International Airport after their Air Arabia flight from Baku, Azerbaijan to Kuwait via Sharjah was diverted due to escalating regional tensions in West Asia.

The flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Karachi amid the prevailing conflict situation. The stranded passengers reached out to NORKA Roots, the Kerala government’s agency for non-resident Keralites, through Loka Kerala Sabha member Manikutty Edakkattu in Kuwait. NORKA coordinated with the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure their safe return to India.

The evacuees left Pakistan on March 2 around midday and arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They are scheduled to fly to Delhi on a SriLankan Airlines flight at 12.30 am on March 3, and from there, they will continue to Kochi via Air India the same morning.