Prayers for safe return: 20 of a family from Dariyabad on pilgrimage stranded in Iran
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Prayagraj: About 20 members of a Dariyabad-based family from Sangam city, who had gone on a pilgrimage to Iran on May, remain stranded in the west Asian country amid escalating tensions with Israel.
The group includes majority of elderly people and two minors. They were supposed to return on June 13. However, due to Israel's strike on Iran and the subsequent cancellation of flights, the family members were shifted from Tehran to Qom city and are anxiously awaiting return.
The worried family members in Sangam city are connecting with the embassy and officials concerned for the safe return of their kin.
Dariyabad resident Sameer Naqvi told TOI: "As many as 20 members from the family, including my mother Huma Nazin (58), Syeda Begum (grandmother), uncle, aunt, and others, are currently stranded in Qom city of Iran.
They have taken shelter in a basement, and we are in constant touch with them since the strife began."
Sameer, a software engineer, added: "We are worried and running from pillar to post for their safe return as most people of the group are elderly and have a limited stock of medicines and money."
Sameer claimed that family members are facing a language barrier in Iran, as majority in Iran speak Persian (Farsi) and are unable to understand Hindi or English.
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"Moreover, we are finding it difficult to send them money in Iran due to the ongoing crisis. We appeal to the Indian govt to bring them back at the earliest," said Sameer adding that the group was getting just one time meal in Iran.
The group is among over 150 people from different localities of Sangam city stranded in strife-torn Iran. They include students, families and working professionals who travelled to Iran for education, business, and religious pursuits.
Indian authorities, along with the embassy in Tehran and local state officials, are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating safe arrangements for those stuck in the region.
As of now, most people from Sangam city and adjoining districts stranded in Iran are reported to be safe, and their families are hopeful that with the govt's intervention, they will be brought back soon.
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