44 rescued from Iran; to stay in city facility

At least 44 Indians stranded in Iran were brought back to the city on Friday.

At least 44 Indians stranded in Iran were brought back to the city on Friday.

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Iran Air’s aircraft Airbus A332 (IR 810) took off from Tehran at 8.52am (IST) and landed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) at 12.07pm. Sources from the airport said the passengers were screened at an isolation unit by the airport health organisation (APHO) team and were handed over to the Indian Navy.

According to sources, the passengers were to be taken to Jaisalmer and kept in an isolation facility set up by the Army, but they were shifted to the Navy Material Organisation, Ghatkopar, where a warehouse has been converted into a quarantine centre with a facility of 100 beds. They will stay at the facility for two weeks. A spokesperson for the Mumbai International Airport Limited said, “All passengers and crew underwent screening by the APHO at the isolation bay and were transferred directly from the aircraft to the Indian Naval facility in Ghatkopar to follow the mandatory 14-day quarantine period.”

Meanwhile, passengers who booked a Europe tour via Kesari Tours took to Twitter, as the tour agency failed to cancel their trips. One of the passengers travelling on March 17 said the company had not communicated the status of the trip to them. “ We are afraid to travel to such places and can’t afford to cancel the trip as the cost is not less than ₹2.30 lakh per person,” said Paras Modi, one of the travellers booked for the Europe tour on April 4. Zelum Thaubal, director of Kesari Tours, said, “We will call all travellers on Saturday to inform them about cancellation of all international trips until April 15. However, we cannot provide an entire refund, as neither the airlines nor the embassies are ready to refund us on our bookings.”