India offered to evacuate corona-hit from Wuhan for all neighbours: Jaishankar

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday (February 7) said India had offered all its neighbouring countries including Pakistan to evacuate their students from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan, but only Maldives chose to take up the offer.

While speaking in the Rajya Sabha, he said “We were prepared to bring back not only our people but also those from all our neighbourhood who would have liked to. This was an offer which was made to all our neighbours but only seven nationals of Maldives chose to avail the offer”.

As many as 640 Indians and 7 Maldivians had arrived in New Delhi last week on two special Air India flights from Wuhan — a Chinese city which has been the epicentre of the deadly outbreak.

Jaishankar also said there are about 80 Indian students who are currently still in Wuhan but 70 of them chose to stay behind at the time of the evacuation operation.

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“By our estimate, there are about 80 Indian students who are currently still in Wuhan. This includes 10 students who had come to the airport but were running a fever so Chinese authority after screening did not allow them to board the flight,” he said.

“70 of them chose to stay in Wuhan and not get evacuated by the two flights. The embassy is in touch with all the students and we are regularly monitoring their situation,” the minister said.

Coronavirus originated in China in December, last year, and has since then killed 636 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.

(With inputs from agencies) 

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