A plane carrying 114 Colombian citizens, who had requested to be evacuated from Japan in the wake of the recent earthquake and tsunami, has arrived safely in Colombia.
The 114 Colombians, as well as one Bolivian, touched down at a military complex to the north of Bogota at around midnight on Thursday after a 21-hour flight, RCN Radio reports.
Speaking to reporters as the plane made a quick stop in Caracas, Venezuela, many passengers cited a fear of the unstable radioactive situation regarding the nuclear plant in Fukushima as a principal cause for their repatriation.
“We cannot drink tap water or even cook with it. In some areas food is scarce, as is gasoline. My husband is Japanese, he stayed there [as] he did not want to travel, but I am doing it for my children,” said one passenger.
This is the second group of Colombians to be evacuated from Japan, with 139 people having arrived early on Wednesday morning, while last week it was revealed that about 500 Colombians have applied to be evacuated from the Japan.