HYDERABAD: Hundreds of Indian nationals working in Kish Island in Iran have urged external affairs minister S Jaishankar to airlift them back to India as corona virus was spreading on the island.

“Every day we are hearing of 10-15 deaths here in the island. We are in camps and are now being allowed to go out. But we want to return to India,” the workers said in a video appeal to Jaishankar. They said since no flights were being operated, they cannot come back to India and their company was also not taking the interest to send them home.

One of the Indian workers, Anil Chowhan of Uttar Pradesh told TOI on phone from Kish island that they were engaged in the construction. “We were first taken to Dubai as we were given to understand that we would be employed there. However, from there we were taken to Kish island,” he said. They have been there for nearly six months now.

The Indian nationals include workers from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala , Bihar , Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.



In Video: Coronavirus outbreak: 600 Indian nationals urge Indian govt to airlift them from Iran