New Delhi, Mar 7 (IANS): The missing 495 tourists from Iran are now being tracked by the Tourism Ministry after External Affairs Ministry said that there are whereabouts are not known.

These Iranian tourists who entered the country in February this year as being traced as Iran has shown one of the highest incidences of coronavirus cases.

The Health Ministry has written to the Toursim Department to track these tourists who had entered India before the travel advisory became applicable for Iranian nationals.

The situation in Iran has become worrisome as Iran has the third-highest number of deaths, currently standing at 124, following Italy where 148 deaths have been confirmed so far after China that has recorded the highest number of 3,042 deaths due to COVID-19.

The tracking being done through hotel addresses and tour operators and agents although as of now the search is not on the count of these tourists being coronavius infected.

On Thursday, the External Affairs Ministry had said that they have not received any information from the Iran Embassy about 495 tourists who are said to be in India but are not traceable.

External Affairs Ministry Raveesh Kumar had emphasized that there is no need for panic because the tourists had arrived in India before the outbreak of coronavirus in their home country.

"As per protocol when a foreign national goes missing, the embassy concerned is the first to know and then notify us. We have so far not received any information from the Iranian embassy," Raveesh Kumar had said.