All contact with the Indian embassy in Baghdad has been cut off and there is no information on some 14 Indians living in various parts of Iraq, India's ambassador to Iraq B B Tyagi said.

"International telephone communication with Baghdad has been cut off some two days ago and we have no contact with the Indian embassy there," Tyagi said over telephone from Amman.

"We believe that the three nuns from Kerala working at an orphanage in Baghdad are fine as that area reportedly has not come under attack so far," he said.

Eight Indians who work at the holy shrines at Karbala taking care of the pilgrims and three Indian students of Islamic studies at Najaf had chosen to stay back.

A presidential palace of Saddam Hussein close to the Indian embassy had been hit, but the embassy was not affected when he contacted the local staff there last, Tyagi said.

He said an Indian ship carrying 13,000 tonnes of sugar which was earlier turned back from the port of Umm Qasr may now be allowed to unload the cargo at another Iraqi port after getting clearance from the United Nations.

PTI