40 Indian medical students walk to Ukraine-Poland border for evacuation

Around 40 Indian medical students stranded in violence-hit Ukraine walked to the country’s border with Poland today to be evacuated, news agency ANI reported. The group studies at Danylo Halytsky Medical University in Lviv and were dropped around 8 km from the border point by a college bus. The students then walked to their destination.

Two photographs, shared with ANI by a student from the group, show the young group walking in a line on one side of a rather desolate street with backpacks.

Their college in Lviv is approximately 80 km from the Poland border. Most of the fighting is happening in eastern Ukraine near the border with Russia. India’s foreign ministry has set up camp offices in Lviv and Chernivtsi.
The first batch of Indian students have left Chernivtsi for the Ukraine-Romania border, ANI reported.
Over 16,000 Indians are currently stranded in Ukraine, news agency PTI reported quoting officials.

The Indian embassy in Poland has issued directions for Indians heading to the Polish border for evacuation.

In an advisory shared on Twitter, the embassy advised the stranded nationals to head to the Shehyni-Medyka border crossing where they will be allowed to cross the border on foot only. The Krakowiec border is only for people travelling in their own vehicles.

The advisory also shared a few contact details of officials concerned and a Google document to be filled out by the nationals to get a repatriation flight back to India. The cost of the flights will be borne completely by the Government of India.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine today said it is working to establish evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary as well.