'We don't know how long we can survive like this': Indians stranded in Ukraine desperate for rescue

Wiping away tears, S Goel, a mother in Haryana is seen speaking to her daughter Priyanka, a medical student in Ukraine, over the phone. “No, no, I am not crying my child,” she tells her daughter, as she assures her things will be alright.

She told a TV channel that she sent her daughter to Ukraine because medical education is expensive in Haryana and there are few seats available. “We sent her abroad to study, but now we are in tears,” said Goel.

NDTV also interviewed students in Ukraine, who spoke about the problems confronting them. “We are very stressed,” said Lakshmi, a student at Kharkiv National Medical University.

“It is impossible for us to travel to the west border of Ukraine to cross over to neighbouring countries like Romania. It's around 2,000 km away from us. We can't even go to a nearby supermarket, let alone travel to the western border. We can hear bombing, shelling throughout the day. We've not even been told how to move.”

Nandan, a third-year student, said that they have been told to stay in the bunkers. “We don't know how long we can survive like this. Food, water everything is running out. We are eating bananas and biscuits. With the first explosion itself, we lost all Wi-Fi connectivity. Now, we are talking to our families with the internet through our SIM cards. Who knows how long this will last?"

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A couple in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala interacted with their son Aashiq, who is in Ukraine. "He was supposed to take an important exam in June, which was why he stayed back,” said Rafeeq Mohammed, his father, a retired air force serviceman.

“But the situation literally worsened suddenly in 3-4 days. Subsequently, whenever we searched, most flights were full, irrespective of the rate. Wherever there was availability, it was beyond ₹70,000,” he added.

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