Bengaluru, 19 June

The first evacuees from Iran who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday morning came as a ray of hope for the family members others waiting for their loved ones to arrive.

The ones left behind are anxious and are panicking, so the Indian government must hurry with the evacuation, said a couple from Richmond Town in Bengaluru whose daughter is studying medicine at Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, Imran Mehdi, father of Fareehy Mehdi, said there was a blast very near to where his daughter was staying a couple of days ago.

"My daughter does not know how to survive in war-like situations. She is panicking so much already. So, I am requesting our Prime Minister and our External Affairs Minister to get all the Indian citizens stuck there as early as possible," said Shabana Mehdi, Fareehy's mother.

Imran said when he spoke to his daughter on 13 June, he realised the gravity of the situation and tried to get her back immediately. "But I could find tickets only for 15 June in Air Arabia. By then, the airspace was already closed for commercial flights. So, she is stuck there," he added.

The couple also expressed their gratitude to the Indian government for moving their daughter to a "safer" place.

"We were told that a batch of students were moved to Armenia, which is about six to seven hours from where my daughter is staying. She is still in Iran though," said the mother.