India prepares for evacuation of citizens from Wuhan city

New Delhi: India on Tuesday started the preparations for evacuating the Indian nationals trapped in Wuhan city, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic, placed under lockdown.

In a series of tweets, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: “We have begun the process to prepare for the evacuation of Indian nationals affected by the situation arising out of corona-2019 virus outbreak in Hubei Province. Our embassy in Beijing is working out the logistics and is in touch with the Chinese government and our nationals on this matter.”

Over 500 Indian students are studying in colleges and universities in Wuhan city in Hubei province. However, a large number of them had departed for home just ahead of the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV.

Sources said the government was working with the Chinese authorities to make an assessment about the number of people stranded in Wuhan. Indian nationals have also been asked to submit their passport details to the embassy in Beijing, sources said.

The Indian embassy in Beijing on social media has noted that some Indian nationals were not in possession of their passports because they have submitted them to the Chinese authorities for visa extension or work permit or other reasons. All the Indian nationals presently in Hubei province and not in the personal possession of their passports, have been requested to intimate the embassy with details such as name, passport number, etc.

They have also been asked to inform the embassy about the Chinese authority whom they submitted their passport to and the date on which the passport was submitted. (IANS)

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