Walk if needed, but leave Kharkiv immediately: MEA

Chandan Jindal, who had been studying in Vinnytsia for four years, was in the hospital for some time. Pic/ANI

Amid heavy fighting around Kharkiv, India on Wednesday asked all its citizens stranded in the city to leave immediately for three safe zones that are in the range of up to 16 km from there. The embassy asked Indians to proceed to Pisochyn (11 km), Babai (12 km) and Bezlyudivka (16 km) even by foot if they cannot find vehicles or buses. The Ministry of External Affairs said the embassy asked Indian nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately on the basis of information from the Russian side.

"For their safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately repeat immediately in the light of the deteriorating situation. They should proceed to Pisochyn, Babai and Bezlyudivka as soon as possible for their safety," the embassy said. The first advisory was put out on Twitter at around 1:40 pm (5 pm IST), while the second one was issued around 2:40 pm (6 pm IST).

Foreign students leave Kharkiv on Wednesday amid intense shelling. Pic/Twitter

"The students who cannot find vehicles or buses and are in railway station can proceed on foot to Pisochyn (11 km), Babai (12 km) and Bezlyudivka (16 km)," the advisory said. The embassy further said: "Proceed immediately. Under all circumstances, Indians must reach these settlements by 1800 hours (Ukrainian time) today," it said.

‘They're stuck at Kharkiv station'

However, scores of the stranded Indian students were still stuck at the nearest Railway station in Kharkiv where they had marched by foot in the morning, a student's father said on Wednesday. "My son Amit along with his cousin Suman and others somehow managed to reach the Railway station but is stuck there," said Venkatesh Vaishyar.

Second Indian student dies of stroke

A second Indian student died in Ukraine on Wednesday, a day after a medical students Karnataka died in Russian shelling Kharkiv. The second student was from Punjab and he succumbed to a stroke. Chandan Jindal, who had been studying in Ukraine's Vinnytsia for four years, was in the hospital for some time, said officials.

"He lost his life due to natural causes. His family is also in Ukraine," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was quoted as saying by ANI. Addressing the media, Bagchi said, "We now estimate that nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine's borders since our advisories were issued in the last week of January."

Announcing the first death on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs had said, "With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning. The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family," the ministry said in a tweet.

Naveen Shekharappa, 21, a final year medical student from Karnataka's Haveri, died when Russian soldiers blew up a government building on Tuesday. Naveen had been out to fetch food and exchange currency at the time.