Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday urged the Centre to evacuate about 450 fishermen, who were presently stranded in Iran, as a fallout of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the region.
In his letter to Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar, Mr. Palaniswami wrote: “I bring to your kind attention the plight of around 450 fishermen from India, including 300 fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are working in various fishing vessels berthed and operating in various ports of Iran.”
These fishermen were reportedly stranded in Port Kish, Cheeru and other places in Iran, due to the cancellation of flights, following the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran.
“The fishermen are requesting to evacuate them from Iran immediately. I request your good office to direct the Embassy of India in Iran to provide the required support to the fishermen and also to make arrangements for their safe and immediate return to India,” Mr. Palaniswami stated.
