Ravi Bhushan shared that the Syrian embassy kept Indian nationals informed about the rescue operation, providing updates every hour through messages.
A Ghaziabad resident, the first of 75 Indian nationals to return home from Syria, shared harrowing accounts of the situation in Damascus and expressed gratitude to the Indian government for its assistance.
Ravi Bhushan told ANI about the efforts made by the Indian embassy to facilitate the return of Indian nationals.
“India has launched a rescue operation, and we are the first group to be rescued from Syria. The most remarkable thing was that they contacted each person, motivating and checking on their well-being,” he said.
Bhushan shared with ANI that the Syrian embassy provided hourly updates via messages, detailing the next steps of the rescue operation.
“If anyone faced issues with food or anything else, they made arrangements. We are extremely grateful to the Indian government and the Indian embassies in Lebanon and Syria for their support,” he added.
Witnessing the suffering of people from other countries, Bhushan felt that the efforts made by the Indian government were commendable.
“We witnessed the suffering of people from other countries—children and women forced to sit outside for 10-12 hours in temperatures as low as 4-5 degrees. It was truly horrific. But thanks to the Indian government, we did not face any such issues,” Bhushan said.
Syrian rebels, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a surprise offensive into Syria on November 27, eventually seizing control of Damascus and ousting President Bashar al-Assad.
Bhushan described the current situation in Syria as “the worst.”
“There is widespread panic. People are shooting in the streets, bombing, and looting banks. The airport has been completely destroyed, and all parked vehicles at hotels and elsewhere are being damaged. The situation is dire. I believe it will only get worse in the coming days,” he added.
The Ghaziabad resident, who was in Syria for business, initially found the situation stable before the uprising erupted.
“I was there for business, and at that time, everything seemed fine. Even our customer contacted the Indian embassy to confirm that things were okay. But just 2-3 days later, everything changed. We didn’t expect this,” Bhushan told ANI.
A statement from the Indian embassy in Lebanon confirmed that all 75 Indian nationals evacuated from Syria, including 44 ‘Zaireen’ from Jammu and Kashmir stranded at Saida Zainab, arrived in Beirut on Wednesday.
The end of Assad’s 24-year rule came last week, with Syrians celebrating the moment.
