It's been a "harrowing and stressful" time for many Indian students in Wollongong as their country comes to grips with a massive surge of COVID-19 cases.
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The number of new cases in India was slightly down on Tuesday for the first time in six days, but the country still recorded more than 323,000 new infections.
It comes after five record-breaking days, with cases peaking above 350,000 and total infections surpassing 17.6 million.
Another 2771 people have died of the disease, taking the death toll to 197,894.
The parents of University of Wollongong student Ankita Som have been fighting the disease for the past few weeks.
"Both my parents contracted COVID. My dad has been in the hospital for the past two weeks but his lungs are shot, they're operating at about 50 per cent," the UOW Indian Student Association member said.
"It is bad in India. I was lucky that we got the bed in hospital. Our friend is a doctor so we were lucky and we were able to get the medicine which was good.
"But it has been a crazy time in India right now, absolutely chaotic.
"I feel helpless because there's not much I can do. I also have a little bit of survival guilt I guess because I'm somewhere which is safe."
Read more: India posts 323,144 new COVID-19 cases
Members of UOW's Indian Student Association and Asian International Students of Australia (AISA) have been doing their bit to help their fellow Indians back home.
AISA president Kalyan Cherukuri said the Indian community here had raised funds to buy the oxygen-generating devices much-needed in India.
"The last two days we've been trying to figure out how we can ship that to India," Mr Cherukuri said.
"Shipping seems to be the problem because Air India stopped flying, which means they have to depend on sending with DHL which is very expensive and sending by sea cargo is going to take 30 days, which is too late."
AISA vice-president Nav Mittal added he worried about the 1000 plus Indian students at UOW, those students stuck in India as well as loved ones battling COVID-19.
"Bad news is coming every day. We are worried what's coming next," Mr Mittal said. "The situation is tough for both students here and those still in India.
"Obviously those here are concerned and stressed because they are worried their loved ones will contract COVID-19. Many have and some known to people in Wollongong have died as a result.
"It has also been difficult for those students stuck in India. They understand the situation but they are receiving mixed messages.
"They are doing uni courses but unsure if they will finish them.
"They have a lot of questions with the university about the courses, the visas and visa extensions.
"They have paid fees but are unsure what will happen especially if they are unable to finish their studies."
Their concerns come as Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced all flights from India to Australia will be temporarily halted until May 15.
Mr Morrison also said Australia would send a range of goods to India to help as it struggles with a critical shortage of medical supplies.
Australia will send 500 ventilators, as well as 1 million surgical masks, 500,000 P2 and N95 masks, 100,000 goggles, 100,000 pairs of gloves and 20,000 face shields.
'I stress this is an initial package, there'll be more to follow,' Mr Morrison said.
Horrors of India strike at our heart
The images, the stories, the statistics are truly horrifying.
The scenes we are seeing coming out of India, and indeed other parts of the world, at the moment are hard to comprehend.
Just a few days ago, here in our country, we were glued to news services for information as it was revealed of a COVID-19 case had travelled within WA and Victoria.
A city was put in lockdown, state border restrictions imposed and various sporting fixtures and community gatherings cancelled.
In Australia on Monday we reported no new locally acquired virus cases.
On the same day we had 28 new overseas acquired cases. Our national death toll sits at 910, a total of 820 of those in Victoria.
It is hard to rationalise that in comparison to what the world is seeing in India now on a daily basis.
On April 25, India had 352,991 new cases. On that day alone. There was 2812 deaths. The seven-day average for COVID-19 cases now sits at over 320,000 and that will continue to rise.
If those statistics weren't horrifying enough, the images of a nation drowning under a COVID tsunami are heart breaking.
We are now seeing images of makeshift mass cremation sites in car parks with burning pyres or victims billowing smoke into the sky.
"There are so many bodies that we have added space for 20 more pyres at the Ghazipur crematorium. There is usually a waiting time of three to four hours," a senior official from the East civic body told The Indian Express.
"On Friday, the GTB mortuary alone had 47 bodies due to this. But we have now managed to cremate them, and more on Saturday. A body takes five to six hours to burn."
Hospitals are not coping and despite trainloads of liquid oxygen being sent to the worst affected areas, doctors are crying out for more help and supplies.
India is a country for Australia shares great love and affinity. As a nation, we shed a silent tear for India and its people.
Julian O'Brien, Illawarra Mercury editor
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
