The T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team may fly home after being stranded in Barbados for two days due to Hurricane Beryl. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said she expected the airport here to become operational in the "next six to 12 hours".
The Caribbean country is facing a weather crisis as Hurricane Beryl's powerful winds intensified on Monday as the strong Category 4 storm wreaked havoc. The hurricane packing winds of up to 155 mph (250 kmh), causing flooding.
However, PM Mottley said she expected the airport to become operational in the "next six to 12 hours". "I don't want to speak in advance of it, but I've literally been in touch with the airport personnel and they're doing their last checks now and we want to resume to normal operations as a matter of urgency," Mottley, who has been overseeing relief operations on the ground, told PTI.
Fishermen pull a boat damaged by Hurricane Beryl back to the dock at the Bridgetown Fisheries in Barbados | AP
"There are a number of people who were due to leave yet last night late or today or tomorrow morning. And we want to make sure that we can facilitate those persons, so I would anticipate that within the next six to 12 hours the airport will be open," she said. She also ensured the safety of visitors, including the Indian team.
As per sources, the contingent is expected to leave Bridgetown at 6 pm (local time) and land in Delhi on Wednesday at 7.45 pm (IST). The players will be later felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi but the schedule of that event has not yet been finalised.
According to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is with the team, the board was hoping to arrange a chartered flight to bring the team back home. "First, we need to see how to get the players and everyone out of here safely, and then we will think about the felicitation upon arrival in India," the BCCI secretary told PTI.
The board plans to fly the team directly to India with a refuelling stop in the US or Europe.
