Spain airlifts 53 people from Kabul to Madrid

Spain has evacuated 53 people from Afghanistan on its first flight to airlift Spanish citizens and Afghan workers and their families from Kabul.The military cargo plane landed at an airport near Madrid on Thursday morning with five Spaniards and 48 Afghans on board.

Spain has evacuated 53 people from Afghanistan on its first flight to airlift Spanish citizens and Afghan workers and their families from Kabul.

The military cargo plane landed at an airport near Madrid on Thursday morning with five Spaniards and 48 Afghans on board. An unspecified number of children were included.

Spain has two more planes prepared to continue with the evacuation of Afghan workers and their families.

All the passengers received a COVID-19 test on arrival and were attended by police so that they could ask for “international protection,” the government said in a statement.

The airport also received a flight from the European Union External Action service with five Afghan families on board. Spain's government has offered to take in additional evacuees from EU partners and care for them until they can be distributed to other countries of the bloc.

“We are still working to evacuate those Afghans who worked with Spain in the quickest manner possible and guarantee their security along with those people who have worked with the EU,” said Spanish Foreign Minister José Albares.