Two Indians stuck in Covid-19 hit Iran, appeal govt to rescue them

Two Indians who had gone to Iran for some business purposes are now stuck in the country that is among the worst-hit by coronavirus as all civil aviation routes have been closed in the wake of the deadly virus outbreak.

Arvind Jadhav and Vedant Kadam, residents of Mumbai, are stuck in Iranian capital of Tehran and have requested the Indian government to rescue them as soon as possible. They are concerned as all civil aviation routes have been closed in Tehran and they are trapped.

The hotel, in which they are living, is also planning to shut down soon, as only eight of its 250 rooms are occupied. They are in touch with their families on Whatsapp and are appealing to the Indian government to help them immediately.

"The number of people who have died from the novel coronavirus in Iran jumped to 354 after the country reported the highest single-day total of 63 fatalities on Wednesday," said Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to the country's health minister.

The Iranian authorities have taken several steps to prevent the further spread of the disease, including suspension of classes in schools and universities and postponing cultural and sporting events.

As of Wednesday, there were almost 120,000 confirmed cases globally, with the total number of deaths exceeding 4,300.