Please save us Modi ji, appeal Indians on board virus-hit cruise ship

One of the 160 Indian crew members of the Diamond Express cruise ship, which has been quarantined off a port in Japan since February 5 over the coronavirus scare, appealed to the Indian government and the United Nations for help, stating that there was full-fledged panic among the passengers and crew members on board.

Besides the crew members, an unspecified number of Indian passengers are among the 3,711 people on board the ship, said the Indian Embassy in Tokyo on Monday. All on board the ship are facing a two-week quarantine. Around 60 people tested positive of the virus on Monday, taking the total number of those infected on the ship to 130.

The Indian crew member, Binay Kumar Sarkar, a chef from north Bengal, had appealed to the Indian government for help earlier as well. In a latest video message from the ship, she appealed to the Indian government and the United Nations to segregate the Indians on board, adding that there was full-fledged panic on board.

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“Only 500 samples have been tested. None of these crew members have been checked (for coronavirus),” Sarkar said in Hindi, indicating five of his colleagues seen in the video wearing white masks. “Please save us as soon as possible. I want to tell the government of India, Modi-ji, please segregate us and bring us back home safely,” he said.

Cruise ship Diamond Princess had arrived at the Japanese coast early last week and was quarantined after a passenger who de-boarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the novel virus on the ship. Authorities had initially tested nearly 300 people when the ship arrived at the Japanese coast.

The Indian Embassy in Tokyo on Monday tweeted the information about the Indians on the ship. “Many Indian crew & some Indian passengers are on board the cruise ship Diamond Princess quarantined off Japan due to Coronavirus (nCoV),” the embassy tweeted, without giving a specific number of Indians on the ship.

Those on the ship have been asked to wear masks and allowed limited access to the open decks as they are advised to remain in the cabins most of the times to contain the spread of the virus, according to media reports. Reports suggest people on board the ship are facing difficulty due to the quarantine measures.

(With inputs from agencies)

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