NEW DELHI: In a major rescue exercise, India on Thursday evacuated 195 nationals, who were seeking to escape the coronavirus outbreak , from Japan and China. While 119 people were evacuated from cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan, 76 more were brought back from Wuhan in China by a relief military aircraft.Significantly, India also evacuated 36 foreign nationals from Wuhan and five from Japan. “The evacuation has underscored the priority India attaches to the welfare of its citizens wherever they are,” foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said. He added that India was “happy to have been able to assist our friends from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Maldives and other friendly countries from our neighbourhood and beyond in the evacuations from both China and Japan”.Of the 36 foreign nationals evacuated from Wuhan, 23 were from Bangladesh, six from China, two each from Myanmar and Maldives and one each from South Africa, US and Madagascar. Of the five from Japan, there were two from Sri Lanka and one each from Nepal, South Africa and Peru.The Indian relief flight to Wuhan carried 15,000 kg of medical assistance comprising masks, gloves and other emergency medical equipment. These supplies were delivered by an IAF C-17 special flight which landed in Wuhan late on Wednesday evening.The medical supplies followed PM Narendra Modi’s letter to President Xi Jinping offering assistance to deal with the crisis. “The medical supplies will help augment the China’s efforts to control the outbreak of this infection which has been declared as a public health emergency by the World Health Organisation,’’ the MEA said in a statement.Some of India’s neighbours like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had sought help from India to evacuate their citizens. The government said assistance to them was in keeping with India’s neighbourhood first policy. India has until now operated three relief flights from Wuhan, evacuating 723 Indian nationals and 43 foreign nationals.In the case of Japan, a special Air India flight landed in New Delhi from Tokyo on Thursday, bringing back 119 Indian nationals (113 crew members and six passengers) who were on board the Diamond Princess which docked off Yokohama in Japan.“In line with India’s neighbourhood first policy and Indo-Pacific vision, the special flight also evacuated five foreign nationals — two Sri Lankans, one Nepalese, one South African and one Peruvian. All the evacuees will undergo a 14-day quarantine at the facility set up by the Indian Army in Manesar, Haryana,’’ the MEA said.Three Indian crew members didn't board the special flight and conveyed their wish, according to the government, to continue their stay on board the cruise ship to complete the period of extended quarantine put in place by the Japan government.“Out of the total 138 Indian nationals originally on board the Diamond Princess, 16 Indian crew members have tested positive for coronavirus 2019 and are receiving necessary medical care and treatment at onshore medical facilities in Japan. Embassy of India in Tokyo has established contact with these individuals and is continuously following-up on their recovery,’’ the foreign ministry said.The ship was put under quarantine by Japan on February 5 for 14 days as one of the passengers who had disembarked from the ship had tested positive for COVID-19. The quarantine period was extended by the Japanese government as the crew members were performing their regular duties during the initial quarantine period of 14 days.