Mumbai, March 4 A total of 164 tourists from Maharashtra who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict have returned home in two flights arranged by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a Shiv Sena official said on Wednesday.
Two aircraft carrying 76 and 88 tourists landed here on Tuesday night. These included 84 students from the Indira School of Business Studies in Pune, as well as residents from Thane, Ahilyanagar, and Pune, he said.
The special flights were arranged by Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, the party leader said.
In a statement on Tuesday, Shinde's office had said that two flights carrying stranded Maharashtra residents would take off from Fujairah Airport in the UAE at 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm.
"The Shiv Sena was successful in bringing back many residents from Maharashtra who were stranded in Dubai," Shinde said in a post on X, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their leadership.
He further said that it was gratifying to provide relief to those who were under immense pressure.
