Vande Bharat Mission: Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran with 57 crew members arrive at Cochin International Airport

Malayalam film crew including actor Prithviraj, director Blessy and 56 other members of a film shooting team arrived at Cochin International Airport by an Air India special flight (AI 1902) from Jordan.

The 57 member team of the Malayalam movie 'Aadujeevitham' were stranded in Jordan's Wadi Rum. They went to Jordan for the shooting before the Covid-19 pandemic occurred. Following this, the crew was stranded due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed in India.

Under the second phase, a total of 149 flights, including feeder flights, are expected to be operated to bring back stranded Indians from 40 countries.

However, more countries have been added in the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission. Now, stranded and distressed Indians from Finland, South Korea, Belgium, New Zealand, Netherlands, Kenya, Mauritius, Spain, Myanmar, Maldives, Egypt and Sri Lanka will also be able to return on special flights, according to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said during a press conference that more than 20 thousand Indian citizens have been brought back to the country under the Vande Bharat mission so far and the number will rise further in the coming days.

The phased evacuation is being done under the Vande Bharat Mission, the second phase of which started from May 16.

( With inputs from ANI )