Coronavirus: Iranian flight with blood samples of 300 stranded Indians to land today

Mar 06,2020

Coronavirus: Iranian flight with blood samples of 300 stranded Indians to land today

An Iranian flight is expected to bring blood samples of 300 Indians stranded in the Coronavirus-hit country on Friday. The country has seen the world’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak outside China, with 124 deaths so far.

Iran’s Mahan Air would operate the flight to Delhi and would carry Iranians back in the return flight, DGCA chief Arun Kumar said.

The ferry flight cleared by aviation regulator DGCA will land within 24 hours in Delhi.

Once the flight lands, samples of Indians would be tested for Coronavirus and only if found negative, the stranded passengers would be brought from the Islamic country.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said all preparations have been made to screen passengers and also follow up cases.

There are about 2,000 Indians, mostly from Kargil area of Kashmir, stranded there. They had gone to visit a religious shrine in Iran but got stuck as regular commercial flights were suspended between the two countries following the spread of the virus.

A team of Indian doctors has already been sent to Iran to ensure that the stranded citizens there are thoroughly examined before boarding the evacuation flight.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had on Thursday informed that a clinic is likely to be set up for screening Indian nationals for COVID-19.

The Indian government has been working on logistics with Iranian authorities for the return of the stranded citizens.

Meanwhile, almost 2,000 Iranians are currently in India who would be flown back to their country by the ferry flights.

Iran has been scrambling to contain the rapid spread of Coronavirus, which has so far infected 4,747 people and killed at least 124 people in the Islamic republic.