4 North Andhra Denizens Stranded Near Iran’s Bandar Abbas
Komara Somaraju’s parents lament that their son, who works as a trainee wiper, has been left to struggle without a salary or sustenance.
Visakhapatnam: Four young men from north Andhra region are enduring a harrowing ordeal aboard the vessel MV Pascal, which has been stranded for six months near Iran’s Bandar Abbas port.
The men are Komara Somaraju from Chintapalli village in Vizianagaram district, Jerri Vishnu from Srikurmam, Durga Prasad from Amadalavalasa, and Parapati Ramana from Parapativanipeta. Their families are deeply distressed, claiming that the ship’s management has ignored their plight, leaving them without adequate food or drinking water.
Videos sent home reveal the sailors’ anguish as they describe deteriorating conditions and their inability to disembark due to the tense, war-like situation in West Asia. The families allege that each worker paid `5 lakh to a Mumbai-based agent who promised overseas employment, yet their contracts have expired without repatriation.
To make matters worse, their wages remained unpaid for 12 months.
Komara Somaraju’s parents lament that their son, who works as a trainee wiper, has been left to struggle without a salary or sustenance. Relatives of Marupalli Upendra from Barripeta village express similar concerns, accusing recruiters of exploitation and negligence.
The families are sounding the central government and the external affairs ministry for urgent intervention. They seek the safe repatriation of their loved ones, stressing that the situation has become unbearable. Locals in the Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts have joined the call, urging authorities to act swiftly to rescue the stranded sailors and ensure accountability for those responsible.