Missiles hit near my university, recounts TN returnee from Israel
Eight people — five from Israel and three from Iran — returned to Coimbatore under Operation Sindhu on Tuesday.
Aparna, who was pursuing her doctoral research at Tel Aviv University, was among the five students from Coimbatore evacuated from Israel.
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'Iran launched missiles targeting various parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv. One missile landed near the campus. The attacks usually happened at night. We would get alerts 10 minutes before each strike through the Home Front Command app, and then the sirens would sound.
We had to immediately take shelter in bunker rooms,' she said.
Describing the atmosphere as 'extremely tense', Aparna said the university remained closed for more than 10 days following the attacks. 'The sound of missiles and interceptors shook us every day. Though we were physically safe, the mental stress was overwhelming. The Indian embassy stayed in constant touch with us and coordinated the evacuation,' she added.
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Aparna, along with four other students — pursuing master's, postdoctoral and doctoral studies — first travelled to Jordan, then to Kuwait and finally reached Delhi. From there, they took a connecting flight to Coimbatore.
Among the evacuees from Iran was Padmanaban, a textile consultant from Singanallur in Coimbatore, who travelled to Iran about 20 days ago for work. 'Although I was in a safe area in Yasuj, the missile attack in Tehran, which was around 900km away, created panic.
Our families back home were extremely worried,' he said.
On advice from the Indian embassy, Padmanaban travelled to Mashhad airport, around 900km from his location. A special evacuation flight arranged by the govt of India brought him and other Indians to Delhi, from where he flew to Coimbatore.
'All the arrangements, including travel and accommodation, were taken care of by the govt. We are thankful to the officials who made our safe return possible,' he said.
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