KUALA LUMPUR: There are no more Malaysians classified as stranded in the western region of Saudi Arabia, following a successful evacuation of Malaysians from the West Asian conflict zones on Tuesday (March 10).
The Consulate-General of Malaysia in Jeddah, in a Facebook posting Thursday (March 12), said the evacuation that took off from Jeddah on Tuesday had successfully brought stranded Malaysians home.
Accordingly, the consulate-general said the 24-Hour Operations Room that was activated in the aftermath of the conflict that hit the region is now closed.
"Considering the improving situation, with most airlines having resumed their services, the Consulate-General of Malaysia in Jeddah hereby announces the closure of its 24-Hour Operations Room.
"However, for Malaysians requiring consular assistance, the consulate general in Jeddah can be contacted directly by phone: +966 126 727 740 | +966 573 099 589 (emergencies only) or email: mwjeddah@kln.gov.my," it said.
On Wednesday (March 11), 163 Malaysians who were previously stranded in several West Asian countries safely arrived home. The group consisted of umrah pilgrims from Saudi Arabia and Malaysian citizens from Qatar, Jordan, and Syria, who were affected as a result of flight disruptions and airspace closures in the region.
The Malaysia Airlines MH8503 special chartered flight for the evacuation of Malaysians from the West Asian conflict zones that departed from Jeddah also included seven non-citizen family members, namely five Thais and one each from Indonesia and Morocco.
On Thursday, under the same operation, another 179 Malaysians safely arrived home from Doha, Qatar. The group included 59 Malaysians who were stranded as well as residents of Qatar who had bought their own flight tickets.
There were also Filipinos, Australians and other nationals on board who would take connecting flights to their respective countries upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). - Bernama
