No India airlift nod yet from China: Sources

As over 100 Indians stuck in China's coronavirus-hit Hubei province anxiously await their evacuation, the Indian embassy here has informed the stranded nationals that the delay for a special flight from India to bring them home was due to lack of clearance from the Chinese government.

India operated two Air India special flights to Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei and the epicentre of the COVID-19, early this month and evacuated 647 Indians and seven Maldivians.

India has announced its plan to send Indian Air Force's biggest plane C-17 Globemaster with medical supplies to China as well as to evacuate remaining Indians numbering over 100. It has also offered to evacuate nationals from the neighbouring countries, depending on the space availability.

In a note to over 100 Indians who opted to be evacuated, the embassy while explaining the reasons for the delay urged them to stay

calm and take good care of themselves and wait for evacuation instructions. Indian officials say China has not assigned any reasons for the delay yet. Meanwhile, a team of WHO experts visited China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus, on Saturday. Indians, who are still on board a cruise ship moored off the Japanese coast, will be tested for the novel coronavirus infection. Also, around 100 more passengers were allowed to disembark from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship on Saturday as Japan's health minister apologised after 23 others were allowed to leave without being properly tested. The 100 passengers who left on Saturday had been in close contact with infected people on board, local media said.