AI brings back 324 Ind, 95 under observation

National carrier Air India's special flight to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, to evacuate Ind stranded there, landed at the IGI airport here on Saturday.

The flight ferried back 324 Indian nationals.

The airline said that the special flight landed at Delhi airport at 7.26 a.m.

Air India started evacuation of Ind from Wuhan with the first special flight which was operated using a double decker jumbo 747 with 15 cabin crew and five cockpit crew.

The flight had departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport here for the central Chinese city on Friday.

Besides, the crew, the flight also ferried a team of five doctors from the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital and one paramedical staff from Air India.

However, few passengers were not allowed to board the flight by authorities in Wuhan due to Coronavirus symptoms.

Meanwhile, a total of 95 of the 324 Ind, who arrived in the special flight from Wuhan were taken from the airport to a special facility at a Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp here for medical observation.

They have been shifted to the paramilitary force's Chhawla camp in west Delhi. The ITBP had already made arrangements of 600 beds at the camp for families and kids coming from China as quarantine facility.

The ITBP had arranged facilities for hosting the Ind from the airport to the camp, IBP Spokesperson Vivek Pandey said.

"All basic amenities - fooding, lodging, and WiFi will be provided to the people. ITBP doctors and personnel are present to look after them. An expert team of ITBP and Safdurjang Hospital and Doctors with sufficient medicines are already placed," he said.

Besides, Air India is now planning to operate another flight to evacuate remaining Indian nationals, who have consented to leave Hubei province for the time being, the government said.

The national carrier said the flight will depart to Wuhan from Delhi at 12.50 p.m. on Saturday with a different set of crew and same team of doctors with other aircraft.

"We urge all Indian citizens from Hubei who intend to avail this flight for India and not yet contacted the Embassy, to urgently call the hotlines (+8618610952903 and +8618612083629) or send mails to dedicated email ID helpdesk.beijing@mea.gov.in before 0800 hours on February 1, 2020," said the government in a tweet.

( With inputs from IANS )