New Delhi:
As the protests against the regime of Moammar Gaddafi continue in Libya, there has been a mass exodus of people from the North African nation.
Over 500 Indians returned home onboard two Air India flights on Sunday. (
Read) But thousands are still stranded.
"Of course, there is fear among people because every local has gun. A number of people are stuck here, including families and ladies who are conceiving. It is not safe for them to travel by road. For the last one week, we are trying to contact the Indian Embassy, they are only saying ' we are trying' but till now there has been no solution. Nothing has happened till now, but we are really panicked. Planes of other countries are landing and taking off," said Mr DL Das, who lives in Sebha along with another 2,000 Indians.
Those who returned, left Libya in a hurry.
"Other than my passport, I don't have anything. We came back to save our lives and were stranded at the airport for 12 hours. The airport seemed like a refugee camp," said one of the passengers.
One such family is that of the Parekhs. They have spent the last few days trying to get out of war-torn and increasingly unsafe Libya.
"Things were getting really bad for the last 10 days. People were killing each other, and there was self-imposed curfew. We couldn't go out to buy regular food; our children stayed at home," said Narayan Parekh.
But for now the relief of being away from the sound of gunfire is all that matters. For the past 27 years, Tripoli has been their home so their sense of displacement is acute.
Another two flights will bring more Indians back home on Monday night. But the three ships that are expected to rescue several more will take another 10 days to reach Libyan shores.