Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 11: As many as 175 Kannadigas, who were among the people from Karnataka who were stranded in Saudi Arabia due to coronavirus-related lockdown, reached the city by a chartered flight arranged by Saco Contracting Company at around 1.15 am on Thursday June 11.

Directors of Saco Company, Altaf Ullal and Basheer Sagar, who are in Dammam, had made all the arrangements for the safe return of these passengers by meeting all expenses including the hire charges of the chartered flight. The flight which left Dammam at 6.20 pm local time reached here at 1.15 am IST on Thursday.

Altaf Ullal said that the flight was hired exclusively to help Kannadigas in distress, adding that none of his company's staff or relatives were among the passengers. He added that his company will also meet the coronavirus test expenses of these people and has already arranged for the quarantining of the passengers.

The company had set up a help desk to finalise a list of passengers wanting to go back. Preference was given to pregnant ladies, senior citizens who were held up after coming here in visiting visas, those requiring urgent medical aid, people who have lost jobs, and other compelling reasons requiring the presence of the people concerned immediately back home. The flight brought 61 senior citizens, 55 pregnant women, 20 who need immediate medical treatment, 35 children, four whose close family members have died, and children.

Altaf and Basheer said that the members of their team personally oversaw all arrangements including providing wheelchairs to 30 among them, and that they felt that this was the most contented day of their lives after witnessing passengers full of emotions and gratefulness leaving for their homes.