Coronavirus outbreak: Flight brings swabs of Indians from Iran

A flight from Tehran on Saturday brought to the national capital swab samples of Indians in Iran who are suspected of having coronavirus infection, an airport official said.

The flight, operated by Mahan Air, returned with many Iranian nationals at around 1030 am on Saturday, an official at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here said. The flight landed at around 5.30 am.

On Friday, officials said around 300 swab samples of Indians suspected of having coronavirus infection would be brought in a ferry flight from Tehran.

The number of swabs that were brought to the country as well as the number of passengers who took the return flight could not be immediately ascertained.

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Official sources said the swabs would be taken to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for tests.

Aviation regulator DGCA's chief Arun Kumar, on Friday, said around 300 swabs are expected to be come in the Mahan Air flight. Based on the outcome of the tests, those passengers who test negative would be allowed to come to the country later, he added.

There are around 2,000 Indians in Iran, one of the countries which has been severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak. A similar number of Indians are also there in the Persian Gulf country.

On Friday, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said evacuation of Indians from Iran was being planned in consultation with the health ministry and the Iran government. 

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