Coronavirus: Shashi Tharoor urges Jaishankar to evacuate stranded Indian fishermen from Iran

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, urging him to take steps for the evacuation of Indian fishermen stranded in Iran.

The Middle Eastern country has reported the most deaths from coronavirus outside of China.

In a letter dated March 1, Tharoor brought Jaishankar's attention to the videos shared by the fishermen -- 30 of whom, he said, hails from Kerala -- on social media, saying that the plight of the fishermen warrants immediate attention given that they are running low on critical supplies.

"As their video indicates, they are naturally very distressed by the present situation and the uncertainty surrounding any further developments in this regard," Tharoor wrote in the letter.

Tharoor urged that the government establish contact with the affected group and work to ensure that critical amenities such as food and water are made available to them.

"It is also important for our government to provide timely updates regarding their situation so that worried family members and relatives have more information about their loved ones," he wrote.

"Finally, given the uncertainty surrounding the spread of this epidemic, I would like to urge our government to explore all channels with their Iranian counterparts towards the goal of evacuating these affected groups, as you did so effectively for our compatriots in China, and reuniting them with their family members," the letter added.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to Jaishankar, urging him to direct Indian embassy officials in Iran to take necessary steps for the evacuation of "more than a hundred Indian fishermen" stranded in the Middle Eastern country.

Iran has reported 54 deaths from coronavirus -- the most outside of China -- while as many as 987 people have been infected from the virus, the country's Health Ministry said, as reported by the IRNA.

Tharoor's and Vijayan's letter to Jaishankar a day after Indian Ambassador to Iran Gaddam Dharmendra said that the authorities are working to facilitate the return of those Indians who wish to go back to New Delhi.

"In view of coronavirus, we are working to facilitate the return of those Indians wishing to go back home. Discussions are underway with concerned authorities to work out arrangements," the ambassador said.

First detected to the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, last year, coronavirus has spread to more than 45 countries across the world, including India.