Hunt on for missing Infosys employee: Sushma Swaraj
Hunt on for missing Infosys employee: Sushma Swaraj
With Brussels airport still closed after Tuesday’s horrific bomb blasts, Jet Airways said late Wednesday evening it had made “alternate arrangements to transfer its guests from Brussels” and that “all the airline’s guests will travel today to Amsterdam in 15 buses and be accommodated there in hotels tonight”. The airline is attempting to get its stranded passengers out of Belgium at the earliest.
MEA sources said the government has intensified efforts to locate Infosys employee Raghavendran Ganesh, who went missing after Tuesday’s blasts in Brussels. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said Raghavendran had spoken to his mother an hour before the blasts, as she appealed for help to locate him and even posted his photo on Twitter.
Sources said Nidhi Chapekar and Amit Motwani, the two Jet Airways staffers who were injured, are out of danger, with the airline saying they are being treated in hospital in Antwerp. Jet Airways said it was flying family members of the two to Belgium.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Jet Airways said: “Brussels airport continues to be closed for operations and is out of bounds for passengers following the unfortunate events of yesterday (March 22). Jet Airways has now made alternate arrangements to transfer its guests from Brussels. All the airline’s guests will travel today to Amsterdam in 15 buses and will be accommodated there in hotels tonight. At the same time, our aircraft will fly from Brussels to Amsterdam as ferry flights. Guests will board the Jet Airways aircraft at Amsterdam airport for onward travel to Delhi, Mumbai and Toronto. Alternate arrangements are being made for guests travelling to Newark (New Iersey, US). Jet Airways is working closely with the Belgian authorities and the Indian embassy to facilitate an early transit for its guests and crew from Brussels.”
“Nidhi and Amit, two Jet crew members injured in the Brussels attack, are out of danger and are being attended by doctors and embassy staff,” the Indian embassy in Brussels said. “I have just spoken to Manjeev Puri, our ambassador in Brussels. He informed me that Nidhi and Amit are both recovering well,” Ms Swaraj tweeted.
“We are doing our best to locate Raghavendran Ganesh. He spoke to his mother an hour before the blasts. Please help us locate Raghavendran. I have spoken to (his) mother Mrs Annapoorni,” Ms Swaraj added.
In another statement issued earlier Wednesday, the airline said: “Jet Airways crew who were injured in the event at Brussels airport yesterday (March 22) are safe in hospitals. Our staff in Brussels is coordinating with the local authorities and hospitals to ensure all the required medical care is provided to them. We have made arrangements for family members of the injured crew to travel to Brussels.”
The external affairs minister tweeted earlier Wednesday that the government was coordinating with Jet Airways on plans to evacuate Indian citizens. Jet Airways too said it was in touch with the Belgian authorities to move its passengers out of Brussels as the airport was still closed. “The airport is still not open. This may take some time. We are coordinating with Jet Airways on alternate plans to evacuate our citizens,” Ms Swaraj had said.
