276 Indians Including 255 In Iran Infected With Coronavirus, Modi Govt Confirms In Lok Sabha

The Narendra Modi government has confirmed that there are at present 276 Indian abroad, who have been infected with the coronavirus. They include 255 in Iran, 12 in the UAE, 5 in Italy, one each in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong SAR, Kuwait and Rwanda. The confirmation comes a day after the Ministry of External Affairs refused to confirm whether more than 250 Indians in Iran have tested positive for novel coronavirus. “The Indians who are in Iran are being very well looked after by our mission. The ambassador is giving a lot of attention to them. Every care is being taken by the Mission, in coordination and cooperation by the government of Iran,” MEA Additional Secretary Dammu Ravi had said on Tuesday. After China and Italy, Iran has seen the maximum number of corona deaths. According to official figures, more than 16,000 COVID-19 infections have been registered with 988 deaths so far.

Earlier, on March 16, an Air India flight carrying 53 Indians from coronavirus-hit Iran landed at Jaisalmer Airport on Monday. Later, they were moved to the Army Wellness Centre in the city, following preliminary screening. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar thanked the efforts of the Indian embassy in Iran and Iranian authorities for the successful evacuation. Out of the total 53 Indians, who have been evacuated from Iran, 52 are students and one is a teacher.

With this, the total of Indians evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran goes above 380.The Army Wellness Centre in Jaisalmer has been working in synergy with the Civil Administration, Airport authorities and Air Force in order to provide proper care to the evacuated citizens. The centre is fully equipped and a functional facility to help Indian citizens undertake the mandatory quarantine period under the supervision of skilled medical authorities. Soldiers have volunteered to provide care and support to the countrymen returning from overseas, defence spokesperson Col Sombit Ghosh had said. Before that, the first batch of 58 Indians from Iran were brougt back in a C17 military transport aircraft on Tuesday, while the second batch consisting 44 arrived on Friday. On Sunday, 234 Indians stranded in Iran arrived in India; including 131 students and 103 pilgrims.