NEW DELHI : An Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft with 58 Indians — all evacuees from coronavirus (COVID-19) hit Iran — touched down at Hindon Air Force Station on Tuesday, Indian Air Force (IAF) officials said.

The C-17 was despatched on Monday to bring back those who were stranded in Iran, one of the worst coronavirus-affected nation.

The 58 passengers included 25 men, 31 women and 2 children. All of them would be quarantined at facilities at Hindon, one of the official cited above said adding that the IAF has activated necessary medical protocols and has put up required facilities in place to provide adequate care and support. The aircraft also carried 529 samples for investigation.

There are an estimated 2,000 Indians are living in the West Asian country where at least 237 people have died and 7,161 have been infected since mid-February, according to a BBC report.

Three days ago, Iran’s Mahan airline plane had brought swab samples of 300 Indians – suspected to have COVID-19 -- from Iran for tests in India.

On Monday, during a visit to Srinagar, Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar had met relatives of some of the people, including students, stranded in Iran assuring them that the government in New Delhi would bring them home soon.

India previously evacuated more than 600 Indian nationals from China, where the first cases of COVID-19 came to light in December. New Delhi also sent aircraft to evacuate Indians on board a cruise ship — the Diamond Princess — that was quarantined off the coast of Japan last month.

India so far has 45 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

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