148 Croats repatriated by air from Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden

Croatia Airlines (Photo: A.Grubelic)

ZAGREB, April 5 (Hina) – A total of 148 Croatian nationals were flown back to the homeland from several European countries on Saturday, the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry said in a press release on late Saturday evening.

A total of 155 passengers consisting of the 148 Croatians and a few citizens of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, arrived in Zagreb on Saturday evening aboard special Croatia Airlines flights from Portugal, Spain, Italy and Sweden where they were stuck during the outbreak of the coronavirus infection.

Upon their arrival at Franjo Tudjman Airport, the passengers were examined by infectiologists.

All those 148 citizens are required to self-isolate in the next 14 days.

On Sunday, 37 Croatian nationals will arrive by ship from Ancona to Zadar. The Croatian government said on Friday it had ensured the repatriation of Croatian nationals from Ancona by catamaran and departure from the Italian seaport is planned at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

The Jelena vessel is expected to arrive in Zadar at 6.30 p.m. that day.

Also, a group of Croatians, who are still in the Austrian region of Tyrol which is on lockdown, will be transported back to Croatia on buses.

Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Saturday that it was the government’s obligation under the constitution to ensure repatriation of Croatian nationals.

He said on Saturday morning that a total of 893 Croatians had been repatriated since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic and several hundred were due to return this weekend,