Air India Boeing 747 on standby to evacuate Indians from Wuhan amid coronavirus outbreak

An Air Indian Boeing 747 has been kept on standby for the evacuation of Indian citizens from Wuhan city of China, the epicentre of novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the official of the national carrier.

The aircraft is waiting for the Centre's decision regarding the evacuation.

"Air India Boeing 747 is on standby for the evacuation of Indians from Wuhan (China) due to scare of Coronavirus. Carrier is waiting for the government the decision," an Air Indian official told ANI on Monday.

The infectious virus, due to which 80 people have died so far in China and affected over 2500 people in the country, reportedly originated from Wuhan city, a major transportation hub of China.

Following the outbreak, China has imposed a lockdown in the city. However, the virus has spread to many parts of the world including France, where three cases have been reported so far.

Many countries are screening travellers from certain parts of China for symptoms of the virus at airports.Meanwhile, the United States has organised a special flight for Tuesday from Wuhan to San Francisco to relocate citizens and personnel stationed at the consulate in Wuhan.

Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japanese authorities were coordinating with China to evacuate its citizens from the Chinese province.