‘Great assistance for our escape’: Indian fishermen stranded in Iran return home

New Delhi: Indian fishermen stranded in Iran amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East have expressed deep gratitude to the Indian embassy and government for ensuring their safe return home and are grateful for the coordinated diplomatic efforts to bring them back safely from the tense regional situation.The fishermen returned to India on Saturday night and were received by India’s Union Commerce Minister at the Chennai International Airport Piyush Goyal.Rajesh Patel, a fisherman from Gujarat’s Valsad district who has been working in Iran’s Kiru district for the past four years, said the deteriorating environment forced them to leave and thanked the Indian delegation for helping them return safely.“I came back from the Kiru region of Iran. I am a fisherman. I have been there for four years,” Patel told news agency ANI.“The situation there has become quite chaotic recently. That’s why we had to leave. The Indian Embassy provided us with a lot of assistance to help us leave. It was extremely difficult for us to leave alone, but the entire establishment of the Indian Embassy set up support centers in every state, every place, so we were able to leave and return safely. The Indian government helped us from Armenia to Iran to get us back home to India,” he added.Another fisherman in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district said the situation there was dangerous before being evacuated.“Nearly 10 to 20 bombs are falling in front of us every day. We fought hard to stay alive and get here safely. We are very grateful to our government,” he said.Speaking at the airport, Goyal said the evacuation came after people from Prime Minister Narendra ModiThe stranded nationals were relocated from Iran to Armenia and brought back home in a coordinated effort by the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian missions abroad.“Our Prime Minister gave instructions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they worked very hard to move them from Iran to Armenia. From Armenia we got support from some well-wishers because they were very poor fishermen. The first group came, 345 people. Today, more than 300 people came. The Prime Minister has always cared about all those who are in crisis. This once again shows how much he cares about our fishermen who unfortunately are caught in the middle of the war with Iran. They were brought from inside Iran,” he said.The MEA said that more than 600 fishermen have been brought back so far, while a total of 2,180 Indian nationals, including students and fishermen, were transferred from Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan before continuing to India.