Hundreds of medical students who arrived at the Polish border seeking to return home from Ukraine are now suffering from hunger, thirst, and severe temperatures. These kids, who walked 30 kilometres to the border, have been waiting to enter Poland for the past 24 hours. They were prevented from crossing the border here. They are stranded due to inconsistencies in notifications from the Indian embassies in Poland and Ukraine.
Most of these students have succumbed to hypothermia, a disorder defined by a fast drop in body temperature as a result of exposure to cold. These students, who escaped Russia’s bombing, are now facing fresh obstacles under the open sky in minus three degrees and are now sharing the footage and demanding assistance from the Indian government.
The students were informed that those wanting to escape Ukraine should proceed to the Poland-Ukraine border. Hence, the students took a cab and attempted to flee. There was a long traffic jam up to 30 kilometres from the border. As a result, the cab driver left them stranded. They arrived at the border after travelling for 25-30 kilometres. When they arrived, they were told that no such notification had been given. No one was willing to listen to them.
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There is a temperature of -3 degrees Celsius there. They don’t even have a roof over their heads. Under the open sky, students are succumbing to hypothermia. Breathing and speaking have become tough. There will be a lot of trouble if they don’t receive aid quickly.
Thousands of people have gathered there. Ukrainians are also being evacuated from there, but no one is listening to Indian students. So far, many individuals have been transported to hospitals by ambulance.
Around 16,000 Indian students are still stranded in Ukraine. Many have made earnest pleas for assistance, posting photographs and videos on the internet from basements, bunkers, and bomb shelters where they have sought refuge from Russian bombs and missiles.
Around 450-500 students are stranded at
. Since the invasion, they’ve all been confined to the basement. They’re completely stuck there. Even food and water have begun to run short, as stores have run out of supplies. The flour and bread are nearly finished. They were anticipating that if students were evicted from the border, they would also leave Kyiv, but that option has now been eliminated as well.
According to a letter released by the Indian Embassy in Poland on February 25, such passengers who arrive by public transportation should arrive at the Poland-Ukraine border at Shiny-Medyakya. From there, the Polish government will allow them to cross the border on foot. This letter also includes the name and phone number of an officer. The students were instructed to contact him, but when they were approached, they replied that they did not have any such intel.
Only individuals arriving in their own automobiles will be allowed to cross the border at the Krakowicz crossing. On the other hand, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine released a letter on February 26th stating that no one should cross any border without the coordination of the government of India.
Students who reached the border relying on the letter from the Embassy of India in Warsaw (Poland) are now stranded, as no Embassy is willing to assist them. They’ve been told to go back. There are no automobiles in the area. It is impossible to walk 80-90 kilometres. The students’ problem is that if they return to the middle of the conflict by walking, their lives will be in jeopardy; if they do not return, they will die of cold. The temperature is anticipated to fall below 3 degrees Celsius there. But how will they return now?
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