India evacuates 195 citizens from Wuhan & Tokyo
The 76 Indian nationals evacuated from Wuhan included three Indian embassy officials who were in the city for coordination.
New Delhi: India on Thursday evacuated 76 of its nationals along with 36 foreigners from the Coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan and another 119 Indian nationals along with five foreigners — who were earlier quarantined on the ship Diamond Princess — from the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
The 76 Indian nationals evacuated from Wuhan included three Indian embassy officials who were in the city for coordination. The 119 Indian nationals evacuated from Tokyo comprised 113 crew members and six passengers.
The foreign nationals brought to India from Wuhan in the third evacuation flight included 23 nationals from Bangladesh, six from China, two each from Myanmar and Maldives and one each from South Africa, USA and Madagascar. The foreign nationals evacuated from Tokyo included two Sri Lankans, one Nepalese, one South African and one Peruvian.
The MEA said that three other Indian crew members on the Diamond Princess cruise ship “didn’t board the special flight and conveyed their wish to continue their stay on-board the cruise ship to complete the period of extended
quarantine put in place by the government of Japan”. Out of the total 138 Indian nationals originally on-board the Diamond Princess, 16 Indian crew members had tested positive for Coronavirus and are receiving treatment in Japan.
In a statement on the evacuation flight from Wuhan, the MEA said, “On its return from Wuhan the IAF Flight also brought back 76 Indian nationals (including 3 Indian embassy officials who were on ground in Wuhan to coordinate the evacuation) and 36 foreign nationals including from some of our neighbouring countries who had sought assistance in travelling to India... A total of three flights have been organised including the one today. Two earlier flights were on 31 January and 1 February. In all 723 Indian nationals and 43 Foreign nationals have been evacuated from Wuhan, China in these three flights.”
In a separate statement on the evacuation flight from Tokyo, the MEA said, “A special Air India flight arrived in New Delhi from Tokyo, on 27 February 2020, bringing back 119 Indian nationals (113 crew members and 6 passengers) who were on-board the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked off at Yokohama in Japan... the special flight also evacuated five foreign nationals ...All the evacuees will undergo a 14-day quarantine at the facility set up by the Indian Army in Manesar, Haryana.”
The Diamond Merchant cruise ship was put under quarantine by Japan on February 5 for 14 days as one of the passengers who had disembarked from the ship had tested positive for COVID-19. The quarantine period was extended as the crew members were performing their regular duties during the initial quarantine period of 14 days.