Fifteen Indian labourers , who were stranded in strife-torn Iraq, joined their family members on Sunday, after they returned here today.
Fifteen Indian labourers arrived in Navsari city of Gujarat and heaved a sigh of relief.
Wife of Indian worker Praveenbhai, Jasoda, said safe return of her husband brought immense relief to her and their family.
"When my husband had gone to Iraq, he faced a lot of problems. After seeing the increasing violence in the war-torn country, especially repeated bomb blasts, we asked people from Gandhinagar to help us call him. They did so and then only we could speak to him. Now that my husband has returned back, I can't tell how happy and relieved I am," said Jasoda.
Earlier during the day, a group of 200 Indian workers stranded in Iraq arrived in New Delhi. 46 freed nurses, who were abducted by suspected Islamist militants in Iraq, had also arrived home in Kochi city in of Kerala on Saturday.
A group of 78 workers belonging to Andhra Pradesh also reached India the same day.
The Indians were brought on a special Air India flight from Baghdad to India, where they landed in Mumbai. From Mumbai, the Gujarat government had arranged for buses to carry these workers back home to Navsari.
Meanwhile, Praveenbhai said bombings had become a common thing in Iraq.
"Bombings are a common thing in Iraq nowadays. When the people of Iraq themselves are running away from the country, why should we wait there for some money, risking our lives? I am happy that I survived and others along with me also escaped from there. I feel relieved and satisfied that I am with my mother and father and rest of my family and I will not go anywhere away from them again," said Praveenbhai.
However, 40 Indian construction workers are reportedly still in captivity.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other Sunni Muslim militant groups have seized towns and cities across Syria and Iraq in a lightning advance.
About 10,000 Indians work in Iraq, mostly in areas unaffected by the fighting, but scores of them have returned to India since ISIL began its offensive.
