Published 13:06 IST, March 10th 2020
'Mission Completed': S Jaishankar after airlifting 58 Indian pilgrims from Iran
S. Jaishankar on Tuesday apprised about the successful landing of the aircraft in Hindon with 58 Indian pilgrims that were stuck in Iran due to Coronavirus
After the Indian authorities successfully airlifted 58 Indian pilgrims that were stuck in Iran due to Coronavirus, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar apprised about the successful landing of the aircraft in Hindon. Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, the Government of India sent IAF C-17 Globemaster military aircraft to rescue stranded citizens from Iran. Earlier, the government had also sent a military aircraft to China to evacuate the Indian citizens form Wuhan, the epicentre of Coronavirus.
Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar asserted the mission to be completed and wrote, "The IAF has landed. Mission completed. On to the next'. The tweet also hints the government's plan to rescue Indians all around the world who are stranded due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
The aircraft left for Tehran at around 8 pm on March 9 and reached out to the Indian Embassy there to bring back the stranded citizens. The government had also directed paramilitary forces to set up quarantine facilities for the students and pilgrims who will be brought back from Iran.
India's Coronavirus count rises
On Monday, the government revealed that positive cases of the novel Coronavirus in India had soared up to 47 after two new cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Pune. Apart from this, 15 people are under observation for the virus in Maharashtra, however, no positive cases have been detected yet.
Out of the 47, 44 are active cases, the initial three which were reported from Kerala have been treated and discharged. The health ministry has advised people against mass gatherings to avoid the spread of Coronavirus in the country.
Updated 13:06 IST, March 10th 2020