New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) The 200 Indians, who were rescued from the Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, which had hit a rock and sank off the coast of Italy last week, will return to India by Thursday, officials said.

“200 Indian nationals rescued from Costa Concordia will return here today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday),” officials of the external affairs ministry said here.

The ministry has also set up help desks at the airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad to help out relatives of those returning home.

There were 203 Indians were on board the ship - one passenger and 202 crew members. Of them, 201 Indians were rescued.

Only one Indian, the 33-year-old Robello Russel Terence, is missing. The government has stepped up efforts to trace the missing Indian. After the rescue, one Indian is staying back.

The Italian luxury liner was carrying more than 4,200 people when it ran aground on a reef off Giglio island in western Italy. More than 60 people were injured in the incident and six killed.