IAF Aircraft Brings Back 58 Indians Stuck In Iran Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Mumbai: At least 58 Indians have been evacuated from Iran, one of the countries worst-hit by the coronavirus outbreak. An Indian Air Force aircraft, carrying mostly pilgrims and students, landed at Ghaziabad’s Hindon airbase on Tuesday.
The aircraft, a C-17 Globemaster, was sent to Tehran on Monday evening.
Thanking IAF, Indian Embassy and medical team in Iran, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “The IAF aircraft has landed. Mission completed. On to the next.”
“Thanks to the efforts of our Embassy @India_in_Iran and Indian medical team there, operating under challenging conditions. Thank you @IAF_MCC. Appreciate cooperation of Iranian authorities. We are working on the return of other Indians stranded there (sic),” Jaishankar added.
In an earlier tweet, he said, “First batch of 58 Indian pilgrims being brought back from Iran. IAF C-17 taken off from Tehran and expected to land soon in Hindon.”
https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1237214486622162950
The plane landed at Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad, from where passengers were taken to a medical facility.
According to the latest reports, the novel coronavirus in Iran has killed 237 people, while the number of positive cases is around 7,000.
It is the second such evacuation by the C-17 Globemaster in the last two weeks.
The C-17 Globemaster is the largest military aircraft in the IAF’s inventory. The plane can carry large combat equipment, troops and humanitarian aid across long distances in all weather conditions.
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