BENGALURU: The 23-member crew of a ship, who are lodged in a hotel in Barcelona, put out a video appeal to the Indian government, desperately seeking its help to come back home. In fact, they contacted everyone they know in India, literally pleading for help.
The crew comprises of natives of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra among others. The two-minute-plus video shows all of them wearing masks. The commentary rendered by one of the crew members states that the video was shot inside the hotel.
Stating that they travelled for 12 hours from Malaga to Barcelona on the ship and all tested negative for the coronavirus, he says they have been left to fend for themselves after the ship docked in Barcelona. He adds that they are worried as Spain is one of the countries worst affected by the coronavirus.
“I request... the government and the media to please save us like what you did to students in Italy. An evacuation flight could be sent by Air India to take us back to the country,” he appeals.
The video cautioned that although all of them are healthy, their condition could deteriorate in the future. Glenn Ebnett, a social worker based in Mumbai who was trying to help them, says, “They urgently require help. They have been stuck in the hotel for the past four days. They have also been desperately trying to get support from the Indian embassy. They have been trying desperately to reach me and others for help.”
TNIE tried to reach out to the crew, but network issues prevented it. One Indian who is on board the ship owned by ‘Pullmantur Cruises’ denies that the company is not taking care of them.
“They are in a 4-star hotel,” he says.
A representative of the company did not respond to repeated calls from TNIE.