india

Updated: Mar 21, 2020 22:32 IST

India’s national carrier Air India on Saturday deployed a Boeing 777 with 12 crew members to rescue stranded Indian citizens in Rome, Italy, amid the coronavirus (COVID 19) outbreak.

Air India flight AI-123 scheduled to take off on Saturday afternoon from New Delhi is expected to land in the Capital at 7:20 am on Sunday.

“The crew members have been provided with hazmat suits for safety. 327 passengers will be brought back,” an Air India official said. The Centre may need to deploy another flight as more than 500 stranded people are estimated to be present in Italy.

The total number of confirmed cases in Italy stands at 41,035 with 3,407 deaths reported so far, according to the World Health Organization’s data.

At least 276 Indians have been infected with coronavirus abroad, including 255 in Iran, 12 in UAE and five in Italy, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Ministry of External Affairs said the total number of Indians infected by coronavirus overseas is 276 - 255 in Iran, 12 in UAE, five in Italy, and one each in Hong Kong, Kuwait, Rwanda and Sri Lanka.

The Indian government on Thursday announced no international flights would be allowed to land in India from March 22 onward for a period of one week.