Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 7, (ANI): A group of 15 fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were stranded in conflict-affected Iran have returned safely to Chennai on Sunday. Tamil Nadu BJP president welcomed them at the Chennai airport.

Speaking to reporters, Nagendran said, 'On receiving information about their condition, I immediately contacted the External Affairs Minister.'

He further added, 'Emergency food supplies were arranged for the fisherman. Efforts are also underway to rescue more diushermen from another island.'

The president also explained that the fishermen, hailing from the coastal villages in Sivagangai and Uvari regions, had travelled to Iran for deep-sea fishing. However, due to rising conflict in the region, they were unable to continue working and expressed a desire to return home.

As direct flights from Iran were not feasible, the fishermen were brought to Dubai by ship and, from there, flown to Delhi, eventually reaching Chennai.

Nainar Nagendra also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs for facilitating the rescue. The Tamil Nadu BJP funded the entire operation.

Ajith, a fisherman from Uvari, expressed gratitude to the BJP for bringing them back. He said, 'Due to war tensions, we couldn't work and were struggling even for food. We reached out to Nainar Nagendran, and he arranged for our return.'

Speaking about hardships, Mani from Tirunelveli said that they had been stranded on the boat since June 13. 'The war zone was intense. We needed GPS equipment to fish, but it wasn't provided. Our boat owner offered no help. We remained stranded on the boat since June 13. No one came to rescue us except Nainar Nagendran, who responded within a week of our plea.'

He further said, 'We have not received any wages, and the trauma remains. Seeing my wife and children will help me recover. He saved us like a god.'

Another fisherman, Anto, sharing his experience, said, 'We went to Iran in February, but the situation became tense and we couldn't go fishing for two months. We informed the BJP leadership, and they made arrangements for food and shelter. Tamil Nadu government officials did not reach out to us at all. All 15 of us from our group are now back, though another group on a different island is still stranded.' (ANI)