(UPDATING EARLIER COPY)
New Delhi (NVI): An Air India Plane left for Wuhan today to evacuate Indian nationals there in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in China that has claimed 213 lives so far.
With five doctors on board, a 423-seater jumbo B747 plane took off from Delhi airport at around 1.20 pm today. The aircraft will return after a halt of 2-3 hours at Wuhan, according to an official statement. There are five doctors from the Health Ministry on the flight and one paramedical staff, the airline said, adding that around 400 Indians are expected to be brought back from Wuhan, the coronavirus epicentre.
The development takes place two days after the Ministry of External Affairs had made a formal request to China for its permission to operate two flights to bring back Indian citizens from Hubei province.
Yesterday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “India is awaiting China’s response to its request to evacuate its nationals from the Hubei province in two flights.” He also said that the Indian Embassy in China had been able to establish contact with over 600 Indians across the Hubei province.
The World Health Organisation has also declared a public health emergency as the virus spreads rapidly. 1,500 new cases of the infectious disease around the globe have been reported, with Chinese officials confirming nearly 6,000 total cases of the mysterious illness.
