India begins process of evacuations of its nationals in Wuhan city

New Delhi: India on Tuesday began the process of the evacuation of its nationals stranded in Wuhan city and other parts of Hubei province of China following the outbreak of the dreaded coronavirus there. New Delhi said it was working out logistics with the Chinese government.

“We have begun the process to prepare for evacuation of Indian nationals affected by the situation arising out of Corona-2019 virus outbreak in Hubei Province, China. Our @EOIBeijing (Embassy of India in Beijing) is working out the logistics and is in touch with the Chinese govt authorities and  our nationals on this matter. We will continue to share updates,” MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

According to reports on Monday, an Air India Boeing 747 jumbo jet has been kept on standby for the evacuation of Indians.

A significant number of Indian students study at the central Chinese industrial city of Wuhan, epicentre of the outbreak, which is an educational hub that has prestigious technical and medical education institutes.