Zee Media Bureau
Kochi: First the rescue from Iraq and now it is from Libya. 44 nurses from Kerala, stranded in strife torn Libya arrived at the Cochin International Airport on Tuesday.
In total 58 nurses were rescued from Libya to Tunisia. From there they were taken to Dubai and booked on a scheduled flight to Kochi.
Three nurses are expected to arrive by another flight; the remaining are expected to reach Kerala on Wednesday. Another 43 nurses have reached the Tunisia from Tripoli, reports said.
The state government will be giving cash assistance of Rs 2,000 each to the nurses for their onward journey from the airport.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, on August 1, wrote to the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj seeking the Centre`s help in arranging flights for facilitating the return of the nurses.
Fighting between rival militias in Tripoli over the past three weeks and bloody clashes between Islamists and army in the eastern city of Benghazi have prompted several countries to evacuate their nationals and diplomatic staff.
Last month, forty six nurses, who were held captive by ISIS militants in Iraq, returned home by a special Air India Flight.
