138 Indians on board cruise in Japan cry for help

Yokohama: As many as 138 Indians, both passengers and crew members, are among the 3,700-plus people who are onboard the luxury cruise currently quarantined near Yokohama port in Japan, with 64 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

While no Indian has so far tested positive for the deadly virus, panic is on the rise. On Friday, a West Bengal man on board the ship posted SOS messages on social media, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ask the Japanese government to keep those infected separately from the uninfected onboard the ship.

The 30-year-old also asked the authorities to rescue Indian citizens from Japan just as they rescued those stuck in China's Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus.

The Bengal resident said there were 138 Indians onboard. He said while none of them have tested positive so far, they are living in a constant state of fear.