New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) Indian Navy Ship Jalashwa on Tuesday repatriated 686 Indian nationals from Colombo, as a part of the ongoing Samudra Setu Mission to evacuate Indians stranded in different parts of the world by Sea, VO Chidambaranar Port said on Tuesday.

"As scheduled, INS Jalashwa arrived at outer anchorage of the Port at 0800 hrs and was docked at Berth No 14 of the Port at 0930 Hrs," VOC Port, one of the 12 major ports in the country, said in a statement.

Also Read | Cyclone Nisarga in Mumbai: Here's A List of Safety Measures and Tips to Keep in Mind Before, During And After Storm Crosses Maharashtra-South Gujarat Coasts.

A total of 686 Indian nationals were repatriated, it added.

"On arrival, the evacuees from Sri Lanka were screened by the Port Health Officials and their luggages were sanitised. On issue of PPE kits by the Port to all passengers, the passengers were boarded into 25 waiting buses, segregated district-wise and transited to Passenger terminal. On reaching the passenger terminal, the antecedents of the passengers were checked and were asked to download and configure ‘Aarogya Setu' app in their smartphones, using the free Wi-fi provided by the Port Authority," the statement said.

Also Read | What is a Cyclone? Know All About Cyclonic Storms Ahead of 'Nisarga', Which is Expected to Make Landfall at Maharashtra Coast Near Alibaug On June 3.

Thereafter, Customs and immigration formalities were completed and the passengers were guided to the respective buses for their onward destinations, it said, adding refreshment, breakfast and lunch for all the passengers were jointly arranged by the port authority and district administration.

The port said the entire operations were guided by TK Ramachandran, Chairman, VOC, Sandeep Nanduri among other state, custom and Navy officials.

Ramachandran said that all arrangements for the arrival of those repatriated were planned well in advance and thanked the district administration, Indian Navy, Customs, Immigration, PHO and Senior Officers of Port for the coordinated efforts taken for the safe repatriation of Indian nationals through VOC Port, Tuticorin.

The next repatriation of Indian nationals through VOC Port from Maldives and Iran are scheduled on June 7 and 21, respectively.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)