Plea from coronavirus-hit ship Youth stuck at port in Japan

Ambulances lined up at Yokohama port in Japan. The picture was taken by Binay Kumar Sarkar from the cruise liner

Kousik Sen, TT, 8 February 2020, Raiganj: A North Dinajpur youth has sought the help of central and Bengal governments for disembarkation of him and over 150 other crew members from a cruise liner that was quarantined at Yokohama port in Japan after some passengers were detected with novel coronavirus.

Binay Kumar Sarkar, a resident of Hatipa village in Kanki under Chakulia police station, is a crew member of cruise liner Diamond Princess.

He has posted photos and videos in social media, urging Prime Minister Narendra

Modi and chief minister Mamata Banerjee to help him and other Indians stuck on the ship.

“I am on board the ship and so far, 62 people, including some crew members, have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Some of them have been shifted from the ship in ambulances, which have lined up at the port. I am worried and so are the other crew members. In total, 160 Indians work on this ship,” Binay said in a video.

Diamond Princess had 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members when it docked at Yokohama. The ship has been quarantined by the Japanese authorities till February 19, said an update issued by Princess Cruises, the company that runs the cruise liner.

Binay also spoke to this correspondent through a WhatsApp video call and said he wanted to be shifted from the ship and taken to an isolated place.

“It is not that he and the other Indian crew members want to return to India immediately. They want to be shifted to an isolated place so that they can avoid getting infected with the virus. After that, they should be properly examined. Once they are tested negative, they can be allowed to return home,” Binay’s mother Chandi said.

The youth’s wife stays at her parents’ home, said Chandi.

“We are spending sleepless nights as his ship has been quarantined at the port and they are not being allowed to disembark. On the other hand, number of coronavirus cases is on the rise on the ship. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” said Shyamal, Binay’s brother.

Binay has been working with private ships for almost 10 years.

State forest minister Rajib Banerjee and the North Dinajpur district administration have offered help.

“We will speak to officials at the Japanese consulate in Calcutta to find out how he can be helped. We would also check out whether there is any other resident of Bengal who is employed on the same ship,” Banerjee said over phone from Calcutta.