Over 600 people from Mizoram are stranded in different parts of the world due to the global outbreak of novel coronavirus, an official said on Monday.
The official said that more than 630 people belonging to various districts of the state are currently stuck in more than 14 countries, including China.
He said that the figure could increase as report is still coming in.
He said more than 350 people are stranded in neighbouring Myanmar and 211 are seafarers.
19 people in Nepal, 18 people in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 12 in Kuwait are among the stranded state domicile.
As per the record maintained by the state government till Monday, majority of the stranded people belong to Aizawl district at 298 followed by Siaha and Champhai at 115 and 106 respectively.
Though the state government was yet to submit the overall final list to the Centre, it has submitted the list of people, who are stranded in Myanmar and asked for their return, the official said.
He also said the state government has asked Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to facilitate the return of 30 Myanmarese nationals, who are stranded in Mizoram
Earlier on May 9, state health minister Dr R Lalthangliana had asked union health minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan to bring back the stranded people from abroad, during a video conference with health ministers of the northeast.
According to him, the stranded people were mostly youths employed in various sectors.
Lalthangliana had said that no residents of Mizoram were included among those Indians, who have been brought back to the country recently, and insisted that the state residents be brought back at the earliest.
The state government is bringing back its people, who are stranded in different parts of the country, on staggered return to avoid rush in quarantine facilities.
Hundreds of people have returned from four Northeastern states- Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura during an exercise conducted between April 30 and May 2.
The returnees were released for home quarantine last week on completion of 14 days institutional quarantine.
About 883 people were also brought from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry by a special train on May 15.
Official sources said that more than 10,000 people were yet to return from various parts of the country.
Meanwhile, many churches in the state have offered halls to the government for quarantine facilities to ease shortage.
About 101 local churches have offered their hall to be used as quarantine facilities following an appeal by the state government.
Of these, 75 belong to Presbyterian Church, 15 from Baptist Church of Mizoram (Aizawl), six from the Salvation Army (Aizawl) and 5 from Baptist Church of Mizoram (Lunglei) till Monday, an official said.
Some local churches in collaboration with local level task forces and Young Mizo Association (YMA) were providing foods, library and free wifi to the inmates.
Mizoram as of now is a Covid-19 free state after its lone patient recovered and discharged from Zoram Medical College (ZMC) on May 9.