Ship brings 687 stuck in Iran, mostly fishers, to Tuticorin

TUTICORIN: Their four-month long ordeal has come to an end. The Indians who were stranded in Covid-19 affected Iran for more than four months have set foot on Indian soil with broad smiles on their faces.

INS Jalashwa

berthed at Tuticorin port at 9am on Wednesday with 687 people after the five-day journey from Bandar Abbas in Iran. Among them, 33 people were from Kerala.


The repatriates were screened, their baggage disinfected and they were given refreshments. After customs and immigration checks they were sent to their respective districts in buses. Except a family from Kerala, all others were fishermen who were working in Iran. The repatriates include 514 from Kanyakumari, 38 from Kerala and 33 from Tuticorin.

Others were from

Nagapattinam

, Tirunelveli,

Ramanathapuram

, Villupuram, Cuddalore and a handful of other districts in the state. After lunch they all started to their respective districts, where they will be tested for Covid-19 and quarantined for a week. Among those who received them is activist Charles Johnson who was coordinating the repatriation.

“We are ready to be under quarantine for 15 or more days. All we wanted was to return home,” says Arul Anand, 28, of Kurumpanai in Kanyakumari who went to Iran eight months ago.

He worked in Kish Island for four months before they started protesting in February. “We were confused whether we should go for fishing or wait,” he said. Others include his uncle Jegan, 35, and cousins Milton, 24, and Maria John, 23.

John Brito, 34, from Thoothoor in Kanyakumari district who has worked for the same Iranian employer for five-and-a-half-years was among the few who had a warm send off by his boss Yousuf Gasmi. There was trouble for many of the fishermen as their bosses refused to leave them and insisted that they should stay back and work. “He said come back after the issue is over,” Brito said.

After staying confined to their small boats for more than four months they finally felt at home on INS Jalashwa. The helipad in the vessel turned into an open theatre at night and Tamil films were screened in the evening. The dormitory also had televisions and other amenities. The men were free to roam in the ship, play and relax on the deck till sunset. The men also enjoyed the hospitality of the Navy and officials.