Over 66,000 J&K residents evacuated from different parts of country: Admin

Kashmiri businessman and students, who were stranded in different parts of the country, arrive in a bus at Tourist Reception Center during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, in Srinagar. (PTI)

More than 66,000 people from Jammu and Kashmir, who were stranded in different parts of the country due to the ongoing coronavirus nationwide lockdown, have been evacuated, an official spokesperson said on Sunday.

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While 54,866 locals returned to the union territory through Lakhanpur – the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir bordering Punjab, 11,456 stranded passengers arrived on COVID-19 special trains at Jammu and Udhampur railway stations, the official said.

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He said another 2,470 stranded passengers reached via Lakhanpur on Sunday afternoon, while Jammu district administration received the fourth train carrying 898 passengers belonging to the UT.

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So far, four trains have reached Jammu with a total of 3,768 stranded passengers belonging to different districts.

He said the eighth special train has reached Udhampur railway station carrying 1,315 people, taking the number of those who have reached Udhampur during the last week to more than 9,000.