Australians stranded in the Chinese city of Wuhan say they have been frustrated and “kept in the dark” by the government’s poor communication about evacuation flights out of the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

Two separate evacuation flights have been confirmed by the Australian government, as of Tuesday – with a potential third to be conducted if the Chinese government approves it.

The first flight, from Wuhan to Australia, arrived in China on Monday morning and picked up 243 Australians. It landed in Western Australia that evening, where 241 were then transferred to Christmas Island for a 14-day quarantine period, and a pregnant woman and her partner were transferred to Perth.

A second flight was announced on Tuesday, conducted in partnership with the New Zealand government.

The Guardian understands it will carry roughly 70 New Zealanders, and 50 Australians, as well as Samoan and Tongan citizens. The flight will land in New Zealand and Australians will then be flown to Christmas Island.

A third flight, conducted by the Australian government, is being proposed but is dependent on the approval of the Chinese government.

Sydneysider Daniel Ou Yang, who is in Wuhan visiting family, said he and many of his fellow Australians had been “kept in the dark” and given conflicting information about all three flights.

Prior to the first evacuation, there were roughly 600 Australians in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province who had reached out for help from the consulate.

But in a Facebook post, Ou Yang said he had initially been told by the Australian embassy that the first evacuation flight “was fake news”.

“From the very beginning news and info regarding the evacuation has been really scarce,” Ou Yang said.

“When the first flight was announced to arrive, I woke up with many people asking me about it, but I never got news from the government. I called them and asked about it, which I was told that ‘there was no flight.’ I asked: ‘So is that fake news?’ Which they replied: ‘Yes.’”

Eventually embassy staff confirmed the flight, but said Ou Yang would not be on it.

On Monday night, the Sydneysider was told he would be on the flight to New Zealand. However, he said a friend of his in the same situation was not even aware the New Zealand flight existed.

“My friend reached out to ask about the progress of the evacuation … he’s been calling them everyday and getting no news or updates. He didn’t even know about the flight back tomorrow.”

Chloe Yu, another Australian citizen in Wuhan, told Guardian Australia “the majority of people didn’t even know about the New Zealand flight”.

“I didn’t hear any news about it from the Australian consulate side, but I heard it from a friend. They said if we didn’t receive the confirmation before midnight it means you’re not on the flight.

“That’s exactly what many people are concerned about at the moment. There are still many Australians stranded in Wuhan who are keen for another flight. They haven’t heard any information from the Australian government.”

Ou Yang said the situation was “disturbing”.

“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but it seems the government is not evacuating every single Australian stuck here in Wuhan, and they’re keeping us in the dark about it.”

The foreign minister, Marise Payne, said she was “in close consultation with Chinese authorities about a possible second assisted departure flight from Wuhan to Australia.

“As always, we will put the health and safety of all Australians first. Thanks to the Chinese government for its cooperative approach.”

Health minister Greg Hunt said he was “anticipating over 50 Australians” to board the New Zealand plane.

Yu told Guardian Australia the most important thing was clear communication.

“I think we just need to hear from the government as soon as practical whether there is going to be a flight or not,” she said.

“There are people who are not living in the city of Wuhan, who are in the rural areas of Hubei province. If they need to drive to the airport it’s going to take some time. One friend even said it will take her 10 hours to reach the airport. If the government doesn’t notify her early enough she wouldn’t be able to make it.”

Last week, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, said the first evacuation flight would prioritise the “isolated and vulnerable”, including children, elderly people and those without family support structures in Wuhan.

Ou Yang said he agreed with the prioritising of the most vulnerable, but disagreed with how “selective” the information had been.

Hunt said on Tuesday that all Australians from the first flight had been tested and there were “no cases of confirmed coronavirus”.

“14 were looked at more closely to ensure they were in an acceptable condition and they have now all been cleared of the virus. A further two are being tested as a precaution. The advice from the AUSMAT team on the ground is they regard the likelihood, or the probability of coronavirus in that case as being minimal, but nevertheless, they are being tested.”