Indian to evacuate fishermen stranded in Iran

The Union government has initiated measures to bring back stranded Indian fishermen from Covid 19 hit Iran. The Centre sent experts from National Institute of Virology, Pune to Iran to examine fish workers.

The fishermen will be brought back if they are not infected with the killer virus. The Ministry of External Affairs held talks with Iran authorities in this regard.

Seventeen fishermen from the fishing villages in Thiruvananthapuram trapped in Iran had sent a video seeking immediate help as they are stranded in the virus hit country without having food, drinking water and other basic needs.

Kerala government and Trivandrum MP Shashi Tharoor have taken up the matter with Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar immediately after noticing the video. Fisheries minister J Mercykutty Amma said that the Union and state governments will ensure that food and other basic facilities are made available to the fishermen.  

The fishermen are working in the port towns of Iran. There are hundreds of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat who were stranded in Iran. In the video, the fishermen said that there are many Indians working in different parts of Iran and are now stranded without having basic facilities.

Meanwhile, a group of students including Keralites is stranded in Pavia, a city south of Milan in Italy. They approached the Indian High Commission seeking help to return to India. Though they booked flights, all flights have been cancelled, according to a report by regional Manorama News.  

A total of 34 Covid 19 deaths were reported from Italy and more than 1000 people are under treatment.

Flights from Kochi to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia cancelled

Covid 19 has affected flight services from Cochin international airport. Several services have been cancelled. Saudi airlines’ daily flights to Jeddah have been cancelled until March 13. Malindo Air flights to Kuala Lumpur has also been cancelled.

However, the airlines authorities are not attributing it to Corona virus.

According to the airlines, it is due to technical issues that the flights have been cancelled.