In his address to Lok Sabha on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed urgency over the safe return of the substantial number of Indian seafarers still stuck in the Gulf.
“The number of Indian seafarers working on commercial ships in West Asia is significant,” said Modi speaking on the West Asia crisis.
The Prime Minister’s remark came after the families of two seafarers reached out to the Centre for help after their kin went untraceable since the start of the Iran war.
Parents of a 20-year old Gulf-bound seafarer have been seeking help from junior minister for petroleum and natural gas Suresh Gopi, MP Priyanka Gandhi, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and MLA O.R. Kelu after losing contact with their son Fadusha Farhan, over a month ago.
Another missing person is 23-year old Jerin Joseph who was stationed on the same commercial vessel, Aracus, stationed in Iran.
"If the Indian government takes up the matter with the Iranian authorities, we may get information about our son and his friend Jerin. We hope the authorities will help us find them," said Farhan's mother, Rehnath.
Jerin Joseph had last sent a text message to his parents on the morning of February 27, informing them about the war and promising to call them the next day. The call never came.
“We have already approached chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union minister Suresh Gopi and Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose. We urge the authorities to track down Jerin and arrange his safe repatriation to Kerala. The Chennai company that sent Jerin to Iran for a nine-month internship told us that he would return once the war was over,” said Jerin's father, Sajan.
Last Friday, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said that six Indian nationals had lost their lives in West Asia and one more was missing.
At an inter-ministerial briefing on March 20, additional secretary (Gulf), MEA, Aseem R. Mahajan, said: “Late yesterday night, we received information regarding the tragic demise of an Indian national, during an attack in Riyadh on March 18.”
According to a ministry of ports briefing on March 12, as many as 778 seafarers were stranded in 28 Indian ships in the Persian Gulf since the start of the attacks on the Strait of Hormuz.
Of these, 24 vessels are on the western part of the Strait of Hormuz with 677 seafarers, while 4 vessels with 101 persons are on the eastern side, said Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, said in a news conference.