Second Navy ship INS Magar bringing back Indians from Maldives amid Covid-19 pandemic

INS Magar reaching Kochi today with 202 passengers. These include 24 women - two of them pregnant - and two children, the Navy said in a statement.

Indian Navy’s ship INS Magar, carrying 202 Indian nationals from Maldives, will reach Kerala on Tuesday evening. The vessel is likely to dock at Kochi at 6 pm.

Indian nationals boarding INS Magar in Male on Sunday. (ANI photo)

It had departed from Malvies capital Malè on Sunday.

INS Magar, designed for landing operations, had made all necessary logistic, medical and administrative preparations at her base port in Kochi to comfortably accommodate civilians before setting sail towards Maldives.

The 202 passengers onboard include 24 women - two of them pregnant - and two children, the Navy said in a statement.

“An entirely separate section of the ship with essential facilities like food and washrooms has been prepared to accommodate the evacuees, and a separate mess has been allotted for ladies, infants and senior citizens,” it further said in the statement.

The evacuees have been divided into groups to avoid crowding at common areas like the dining hall and bathrooms, the Navy noted.

Meanwhile, another naval ship INS Jalashwa will be evacuating approximately 700 Indian nationals from Malè to Kochi on May 15, during her second repatriation sortie.

Both the ships are engaged in the repatriation mission as part of ‘Operation Samudra Setu’, the government’s plan to bring back stranded Indians through the sea route during the Covid-19 pandemic.