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3,570 Indians died of Covid-19 in 70 countries: MoS external affairs
He said 1,154 deaths were recorded in Saudi Arabia, followed by 894 in the United Arab Emirates, 546 in Kuwait, 384 in Oman, 196 in Bahrain, and 106 in Qatar
As many as 3,570 Indian citizens have died abroad due to Covid-19 with around a third of the deaths reported from Saudi Arabia, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan told Parliament on Thursday.
He said 1,154 deaths were recorded in Saudi Arabia, followed by 894 in the United Arab Emirates, 546 in Kuwait, 384 in Oman, 196 in Bahrain, and 106 in Qatar. The six West Asian countries are home to 70% of India’s citizens living abroad, according to the ministry of external affairs.
There are 12.6 million non-resident Indians (NRIs), who hold Indian passports but ordinarily reside outside the country in over 200 nations. As many as 8.9 million of them live in just six countries. The largest number of Indians among them, or 3.4 million, live in the United Arab Emirates, which is approximately 27% of all NRIs. Another 2.6 million are in Saudi Arabia. Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain are home to another 2.9 million NRIs.
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In his written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Muraleedharan said Covid-19 related deaths of Indians abroad were also recorded in Nigeria (31), Sudan (26), Malaysia (21), Uganda (18), Kenya (15), and Iraq (10).
He added other countries where deaths of Indian nationals were reported included Egypt, France, Botswana, Indonesia, Malawi, Maldives, Spain, Ukraine, Zambia, and Afghanistan. In all, deaths of Indians due to Covid-19 were reported from 70 countries.
“We express the deepest sympathy with the families of those who have died abroad due to Covid-19. Missions/posts abroad maintained contact with the families and extended all possible help for transporting the mortal remains to India or for local burial, as per the wishes of the families,” Muraleedharan said. “Financial assistance for transporting the bodies to India or for local burials was provided from the Indian Community Welfare Fund when requests were received by Indian missions.”
