Some had wide smiles and were brimming with happiness; others had tears rolling down their faces. Twenty-three students stuck in Ukraine arrived on three different flights at the Patna airport on Sunday, much to the relief of their anxious families.

Though all praise for the Union government for ensuring their evacuation, what they revealed indicated that the coming days could be very tough on the students stranded there.

“Some of my friends and I were staying in a town close to the western border of Ukraine, hence evacuating us was easy. But many friends and a large number of students are stuck in the towns on the eastern side of Ukraine where the war is happening. They are hiding in bunkers and going through many hardships. Their evacuation is yet to start,” said Priya Singh after arriving in Patna.

The boys and girls also pointed out that bringing back Indian students stuck in several universities and towns between Ukrainian capital Kyiv and Kharkiev will be difficult because of the disruption of the road and rail network, as well as, the scarcity of vehicles and fuel. Mobile communication in the eastern areas of Ukraine has become patchy and the electricity supply system is also breaking down.

Earlier, the Bihar boys and girls had arrived at Mumbai and Delhi airports on special flights being operated by the Union government to evacuate them from the war zone via Hungary, Romania and Poland. They were put on board different commercial flights to Patna.

“The situation was okay until Russia attacked on February 24. It worsened rapidly afterwards with bombings, and firing of rockets and missiles,” said Abhishek Kumar.

Another student Sana Tashkin of Muzaffarpur was relieved on joining her parents and said: “Coming back to my own country and home is such a relief. There is panic in Ukraine and nobody knows what will happen in future.”

While expressing happiness, they also expressed worry about many students from India still staying in bunkers and at underground metro railway stations while food and water was scarce.

“Students are forced to spend harsh winter nights under the open sky in an attempt to return home. I fail to understand what kind of management is being done in the crisis situation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government,” said Rishabh Mishra after arriving from Ukraine.

Several parents also voiced their concerns about the safety and well being of their children stranded in the foreign country.

“The information I am getting from my son and his friends is that they are surviving in –5° Celsius without blankets, proper food, water and transportation. They have been walking for miles for want of vehicles. A large number of boys and girls are stuck at the Poland border because they have to first do some paperwork. Can’t our government cut these bureaucratic hassles? I am just praying for their safe return,” one of the parents told this newspaper on the condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, chief minister Nitish Kumar said that his government was committed to ensuring safe return of all students from Bihar stranded in Ukraine.

“The central government is trying to bring all the students who want to return from Ukraine. Our government is ensuring the travel arrangements of all the students from Bihar after their arrival from Ukraine at any of the airports in our country. We will take them to their homes. We sympathise with their situation,” Nitish said on Sunday.