Hyderabad, Oct. 22 -- Around 3,000 stranded Indian Umrah pilgrims have returned from Saudi Arabia over the past week, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday, October 22.

"Our Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are actively engaging with concerned airlines and tour operators to facilitate the early return of affected pilgrims," Jaiswal said in a post on X.

The 3,000 pilgrims returned on available flights, in addition to more than 10,000 other Umrah pilgrims who travelled back to India on their booked flights over the same period, he said. "Arrangements are being discussed to facilitate the return of other Umrah pilgrims at the earliest," he added.

The Indian missions are also providin...