NEW DELHI: Six foreign tourists living in a cave in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh since the lockdown began as they went out of money have been sent to quarantine at an ashram here, an international news agency reported.

The tourists including four men and two women from different countries - France, the United States, Ukraine, Turkey and Nepal - were living in the cave since March 24, have now been moved to Swarg Ashram for 14 days. None of them have showed COVID-19 symptoms, police inspector Rajendra Singh Kathait said.

Rishikesh, the serene town in Uttarakhand, is famous among foreign tourists as popular British rock band Beatles had come to Rishikesh looking for refuge from Beatlemania and also for spiritual enlightenment.

"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," Kathait was quoted saying. "However, they had saved some money to buy food and other supplies," he added. A man from Nepal has helped the group providing them with essential items, the inspector added.

There are about 700 foreign tourists in Rishikesh and the state government has launched a website "Stranded in India" to help the tourists. Several countries have sent chartered flights to bring back foreign tourists to their respective countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that India will be under lockdown since March 25 to prevent the to curb the spread of novel coronavirus. The first phase of the lockdown was from March 25 to April 14. The PM on April 14 extended the lockdown till May 3.

Also Read:No Lockdown Relaxation In Delhi From April 20: Kejriwal