2,072 Indians died of coronavirus infection abroad: Govt

A total of 2,072 Indians died due to the coronavirus in various countries with the highest death toll of 906 being reported in Saudi Arabia followed by 375 in the United Arab Emirates, the government said on Thursday.

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said 369 Indians died of coronavirus infection in Kuwait while 166 deaths were reported from Oman.

An estimated 8.5 million Indians live and work in the Gulf region. Hundreds of thousands of them returned to India following the pandemic. According to the details provided by Muraleedharan, 34 Indians died in Qatar, 48 in Bahrain and 23 each in Sudan and Nigeria.

He said 15 Indians died in Italy, seven in France, nine in Nepal, six in Iran and seven Indians succumbed to the virus in Iraq. Replying to a separate question, Muraleedharan said India's policy on Taiwan is clear and consistent.

"Government facilitates and promotes interactions in areas of trade, investment, tourism, culture, education and other such people-to-people exchanges," he said.