New Delhi, March 3 Another day brought with it more anxiety and fear as parents and family members eagerly awaited updates on the safety of their children who were stranded in Iran.
As the situation escalated, parents continued to appeal to the Indian government to evacuate their children as soon as possible.
For 30-year-old Altaf Khan, who currently lives in Srinagar, Tuesday began with checking his phone and waiting for updates on his sister's safety.
"My sister, Sobia, is a first-year medical student in Tehran. We were able to connect with her for a couple of minutes yesterday, and her voice clearly showed her fear. She told us that sirens were going off frequently, and they could hear loud explosions near their campus," Khan said.
He added that his parents have neither been eating nor sleeping. The constant anxiety has been very taxing on his family, he added.
"My sister is only 19. I cannot imagine what she must be feeling, how scared she must be," Khan added, his voice choked with emotion.
Another parent, 44-year-old Aafroza (who uses her first name), based in Srinagar, said, "It is our urgent request that the Indian government safely and immediately evacuate all our children. I was able to connect with my daughter for a little while on Monday, and she said that they were running out of food and other necessities. Movement outside the campus has become very risky due to the heightened security concerns."
Aafroza's daughter is a third-year medical student in Tehran. "All other countries had already evacuated their respective students. The situation has escalated so much, and we are constantly living in fear that we will receive bad news. We are constantly glued to our phones, hoping for updates or reassurance," Aafroza told