21 TN fishermen stranded in Iran released, will be repatriated: Swaraj

Twenty-one Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were stranded in Iran, have been released and will be repatriated soon, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said tonight.

Theywill be repatriated to Chennai in batches from August 3, she said.

"I am happy to inform that 21 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were stranded at Nakhitaghi (Iran) have been released with the efforts of Indian Embassy in Iran and our Consulate at Bandar Abbas," Swaraj tweeted.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami had last month urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Indian Embassy in Iran to take necessary steps for bringing back the 21 fishermen.

The fishermen were engaged in fishing in three boats belonging to their Iranian employers for more than six months, Palaniswami had said.

The fishermen lost hope of receiving a fair remuneration from their employers and requested them to facilitate their return to India which was also refused, he had said.