241 stranded Buddhist monks flown back to Mongolia from Goa

As many as 241 Buddhist monks from Mongolia, who were stranded in Karnataka due to the lockdown, were flown back to their homeland in a special flight from Goa, an official said on Saturday.

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The flight took off from Dabolim international airport on Friday night, Goa airport director Gagan Malik told PTI.

Another official said that the monks were stranded in Karnataka's Hubli due to the travel restrictions. They were brought to Goa on Friday by road.

"A Mongolian Airlines flight arrived in Goa to ferry the stranded monks. All the rules related to social distancing and hygiene were meticulously followed during the departure of this group," he added.

According to Malik, it was the 41st flight to take off from the Goa airport ever since the country-wide lockdown came into force.

Earlier, repatriation flights had flown passengers to different countries, including Russia and the UK.

The lockdown came into force in March when it was Goa's peak tourist season. Thousand of foreigners were holidaying in the state when the lockdown was announced.