New Delhi: Two Indian crew on board a cruise ship off the Japanese coast have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Indian Embassy in Japan said on Wednesday as authorities confirmed that 174 people have been infected with the deadly disease.
The cruise ship Diamond Princess, with 3,711 people on board, arrived at the Japanese coast early last week and was quarantined after a passenger who deboarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the virus on the vessel.
A total of 138 Indians, including passengers and crew, were on board.
"Due to the suspicion of novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection, the ship has been quarantined by Japanese authorities till February 19, 2020," the embassy said in a statement. "Altogether 174 people have been tested positive for nCoV, including two Indian crew members."
All the infected people have been taken to hospitals for adequate treatment, including further quarantine, in accordance with the Japanese health protocol, it said.
The Indian embassy said it is monitoring the evolving situation and is in touch with concerned Japanese authorities.
"Embassy officials have also reached out to the Indian nationals on board and sought their cooperation after explaining to them the health and safety regulations of Japanese authorities. The Embassy is also taking up concerns raised by the Indian nationals on board the cruise ship with concerned authorities in Japanese Foreign Ministry as well as the cruise company," the statement said.
Giving details, the embassy said those who have not tested positive, irrespective of their nationality, have not been allowed to disembark except the critically ill passengers and crew members who have been allowed to be taken to hospitals for further treatment and quarantine.
Media reports had earlier showed a video of Indian crew members pleading to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the United Nations to segregate the Indians on board the ship on an urgent basis.
One of the crew members in the video, identified as Binay Kumar Sarkar, said, "Please somehow save us as soon as possible. What's the point if something happens (to us)...I want to request the government of India and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi-ji, please segregate us and bring us back home safely."
Those on the ship have been asked to wear masks and allowed limited access to the open decks as they are advised to remain in the cabins most of the times to contain the spread of the virus, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, the operator of the ship on Monday vowed to refund all 2,666 passengers due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Carnival Japan Inc., the Japanese branch of Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., which operates the ship, said refunds will be offered via travel agencies through which the passengers made their bookings.
The company will additionally cover all costs incurred by those quarantined aboard the ship since last Tuesday, when passengers were originally scheduled to disembark at Yokohama.
The death toll in China's novel coronavirus outbreak rose up to 1,113 with 97 new fatalities reported mostly in the worst-affected Hubei province while the confirmed cases of infection jumped to 44,653, health officials said on Wednesday.
The outbreak originated in central China's Hubei province in December last year.
The virus was officially named "COVID-19" by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.
Several countries have banned arrivals from China while major airlines have suspended flights to the country.
(With inputs from PTI)