170 Indians evacuated from hurricane Irma hit Sint Maarten

As many as 170 Indians have been evacuated from the hurricane Irma-hit Sint Maarten and brought to the Caribbean island of Curacao by special flights chartered by the Indian government.

As many as 170 Indians have been evacuated from the hurricane Irma-hit Sint Maarten and brought to the Caribbean island of Curacao by special flights chartered by the Indian government.

Dutch Army soldiers unload bottles of drinking water at the Sint Maarten International Airport in the Dutch part of Saint Martin Island, September 9, 2017. In this picture taken September 9, 2017 by Netherlands Ministry of Defence. (REUTERS Photo)

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Indian Envoy in Venezuela Rahul Srivastava has informed that 60 other people were also evacuated along with Indians from the hurricane-hit place.

Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said in a tweet late last night that 110 Indians and Indian-origin evacuees were brought to Curacao from Sint Maarten.

In a series of tweets, Swaraj today said the second flight carrying 60 Indians also landed in Curacao.

“Rahul Srivastava informed that second flight also landed in Curacao with 60 Indians and 30 others from St.Maarten,” the minister said on the micro-blogging site.

Sint Maarten, that is jointly administered by France and the Netherlands, was directly in hurricane Irma’s path. The island suffered widespread destruction after the storm made landfall last week and wreaked havoc on the Caribbean islands.