Last Sunday, India evacuated 688 more citizens from Ukraine on three Air India flights and said it was in contact with the other countries in that region to ensure the return of all its citizens stranded in that country, the Press Trust of India reported.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said New Delhi had launched a multiple evacuation plan, Operation Ganga, to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine.

The process will be carried out by the government, given the existing emergency situation, Shringla said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Last Friday, India set up offices and teams of officials in several Ukrainian cities and border points to facilitate the transit of Indians to Hungary, Romania and Poland.

Also, India is using land routes to evacuate its citizens, as Ukraine closed its airspace to civilian aircraft after the outbreak of the war with Russia.

pgh/etc /mem/abm