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| ▲ This undated photo, provided by South Korea's foreign ministry, shows South Koreans waiting in the international airport in Abu Dhabi to board a chartered plane that will carry South Koreans stranded in the United Arab Emirates amid the escalating conflict between Iran and the United States. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
evacuation-Middle East
Chartered plane departs from UAE to bring home 203 S. Koreans: ministry
SEOUL, March 8 (Yonhap) -- A chartered plane departed from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday to bring home hundreds of South Koreans stranded in the Middle Eastern country amid the escalating conflict between Iran and the United States, the foreign ministry said.
An Etihad Airways chartered flight carrying 203 South Koreans and their three foreign spouses departed from Abu Dhabi at 5:35 p.m. (Korean time), according to the ministry. The plane is expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at around 2 a.m. Monday.
South Korea has been seeking to bring home some 3,000 nationals stranded in the UAE due to flight disruptions amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
Around 1,500 South Koreans, including those aboard the chartered plane, have left from the UAE since flights heading to and departing from the country have been resumed.
The foreign ministry has dispatched a joint rapid response team to the UAE to assist evacuation operations. Since early Saturday, the South Korean Embassy in the UAE has received applications from South Korean nationals wishing to board the chartered plane.
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