After being stuck in Iran for over a week due to the escalating conflict in the region, two Mumbai-based couples have finally contacted the Indian Embassy and are en route to a designated evacuation camp in Mashhad, near the Turkmenistan border.
So far, we are safe in Iran. We are just waiting for Iranian airspace to reopen. The internet is down, and communication is very limited. Messages aren’t being delivered,” was the last message Marshal Danavil managed to send mid-day on Saturday, June 14. Since then, the couples have only been able to send sporadic updates whenever they managed a weak internet or phone signal. They relayed their messages to friends and family, who in turn contacted mid-day.
“My son called me briefly on Thursday evening. He said they finally got in touch with the Indian Embassy and have been advised to travel to the Indian camp in Mashhad. They are currently trying to arrange transport from Kelardasht County near Abbasabad city — that’s over 800 km away from the camp,” said the father of one of the man. Joann Quadros and her husband Marshal Danavil and another woman and her fiancé — had travelled to Tehran to attend their Iranian boss’s wedding on June 11. What was meant to be a celebratory trip quickly turned into a nightmare as heavy bombing erupted in Iran that very night, following tensions with Israel.
The couples found themselves stranded after Iran closed its airspace, leading to the cancellation of their June 12 flight to Dubai. With internet and phone services severely restricted, communication became nearly impossible. The fiance of the woman, who did not want to reveal her identity, managed to send out a social media post on June 13, pleading for help. Joann and Marshal, who live in Marol, and the other couple, from Goregaon and Prayagraj in UP, respectively. Both the men work at Blue Flames Pvt Ltd, a Mumbai-based firm.
“I reposted his SOS and tried calling and messaging. They were supposed to fly out the day after the wedding, but the airspace was shut. It’s been chaos since,” said Danavil’s friend, Vishal Raut. Even as the couples remained offline, their friends in India were making desperate attempts to secure help.
“I emailed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), visited the Armenian Embassy in Mumbai (which was shut), then the Iranian Consulate on Nepean Sea Road. Officials there said Indians could cross into Armenia using their passports without a visa, but later my friends were told they would still need a visa,” said Viren Nishar, a friend of the Goregaon resident.
Meanwhile, the MEA responded to Nishar’s email by providing a registration link for stranded Indians, but the internet blackout in Iran made it impossible for the couples to access the form.
“I filled in their details and submitted the form on their behalf. It was frustrating. Even during a crisis, there were contradictory statements. And even if they manage to reach Armenia, the real hurdle is travelling across war-torn Iran to get there,” Nishar added. As of Thursday evening, the couples are reportedly arranging transportation to reach Mashhad, one of the designated Indian evacuation centres under Operation Sindhu.
June 11
Day the couples reached Tehran
