India coronavirus lockdown: Six tourist found living in a cave in Uttarakhand after being left broke amid the COVID-19 restrictions

Six foreign tourists were found self-isolating in a cave in the Indian state of Uttarakhand on Sunday. The group found themselves running out of money as India announced a lockdown, and decided to use their remaining cash to buy food and other necessities, while sitting it out in a cave in the popular temple city of Rishikesh.

Many Twitter users have shared news reports about the four men and two women — from France, the United States, Ukraine, Turkey and Nepal, who were living in the cave near Rishikesh since March 24, before the police found them and sent them to a quarantine facility in the same town.

According to a BBC report: “The foreign nationals had arrived in India separately last year - they had been living in small hotels and private lodges in Rishikesh”

News reports say that the group has now been moved to Swarg Ashram, Rishikesh, where they will be quarantined for 14 days, although none have shown coronavirus symptoms.

According to an AFP report, police inspector Rajendra Singh Kathait said: “Before the lockdown began, they were living in a hotel in the Muni Ki Reti region but they moved to the cave after they ran out of money. However, they had saved some money to buy food and other supplies.”

Indian and foreign tourists have been banned from entering the state of Uttarakhand since March 20 due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a state government order.

About 700 foreign tourists remain in Rishikesh, according to the Uttarakhand’s tourism department, and the Government has launched the website “Stranded in India” to help travellers from abroad.

Numerous governments, including Germany, the US and Britain, have chartered flights to take their nationals home from India.