Maldives President thanks India for evacuating 7 Maldivians from coronavirus-hit Wuhan

Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for the evacuation of seven Maldivian nationals from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan.

Taking to Twitter following the return of the Indians and Maldivians from Wuhan to Delhi on a special Air India flight, Solih described the gesture as a fine example of the outstanding friendship and camaraderie between the two countries.

"My thanks and gratitude to PM Narendra Modi & EAM Dr. S Jaishankar & Govt of India for expeditiously evacuating the 7 Maldivians residing in Wuhan, China. This gesture is a fine example of the outstanding friendship and camaraderie between our two countries," Solih tweeted.

Today, as many as 323 Indians and seven Maldivians were rescued from Wuhan - a Chinese city of 11 million people which is the epicenter of the new strain of coronavirus.

The evacuees have been sent to quarantine centers set up by the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police in Manesar and Chhawla respectively.

The virus originated in Wuhan in December last year and has since then spread to various cities around the world.

Several countries including India have sped up the evacuation process after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global health crisis.