Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], May 31 (ANI): A special flight under the Vande Bharat Mission with 148 passengers on board departed from Riyadh for Hyderabad on Sunday.

"Air India AI 1936 bound for Hyderabad has departed from King Khalid International Airport Riyadh with 148 passengers, including 3 infants on board," Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia tweeted.

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India had launched the largest evacuation exercise -- Vande Bharat Mission -- to repatriate Indians stranded abroad due to coronavirus-induced lockdown.

The exercise began on May 7 and its second phase started on May 16.

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had recently announced that the second phase of the mission has been extended to June 13.

More than 47,000 people have now returned to India under Mission Vande Bharat so far, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)