Around 60 fishermen from Kerala are stranded in Iran due to the coronavirus spread in the country. They remain confined to their rooms with very little access to food and water.
"We are stranded at Azalur in Iran. Due to the outbreak of coronavirus in this country, we are confined to our rooms and cannot leave," a man, says in an SOS video on social media, as he pans around to show around 21 fishermen standing in a room.
"There are other people also who have been stranded in nearby rooms but we are not able to contact them... There are many Indians working in different parts of Iran and are now stranded with hardly any food or water," another fisherman says in the video.
"We appeal to the Indian central government to take us back to our families. We appeal to all prominent leaders in the country. All the flights from Iran to India have been suspended and that has affected us severely," the fisherman adds.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar saying hundreds of Indian fishermen are trapped in Iran's Azalur - of which around 60 are from Kerala.
"It is learnt that they are unable to return on account of COVID 19 spread. In this circumstance, I request you to direct the embassy officials to take necessary steps and arrange for the safe return of these person," Mr Vijayan wrote in his letter.
Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has also written to Mr Jaishankar, saying, "The stranded fishermen in Iran, many of whom are from Kerala, have legally secured work permits and have been hired by local fishing companies to work in the country".
Asking the government to utilise all channels of communication to establish contact with the affected groups and to ensure timely updates to worrying families, Mr Tharoor said, "This situation has developed overnight as part of the larger quarantine and containment measures by the Iranian administration... The plight of our fishermen warrants immediate attention".
From FLiRT To FLuQE: What To Know About The Latest Covid Variants Covid Still Kills 1,700 A Week Around World: WHO Universal Coronavirus Vaccine? New Jab Targets Even Unknown Threats Monkeypox Cases Rising: How Worried Should You Be - 10 Points How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan Muhammad Yunus Dials PM Modi, Assures Protection Of Hindus In Bangladesh Centre Announces Major Reshuffle Of Top Bureaucrats: See Names, Details 3 Days After Big Order On Deposits With SBI And PNB, Karnataka Hits Pause Man Arrested For Raising Palestine Flag On Independence Day: Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.