Delhi: They were hungry. Some had not eaten for days. Others survived on water and biscuits.

But they walked anyway for hundreds of miles, in groups of families that included men and women, young and old - all trudging along deserted highways.

An Indian couple carrying an infant walk along an expressway hoping to reach their home, hundreds of kilometres away, as the city comes under lockdown in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of Delhi. Credit:AP

Some had nothing but flip-flops on their feet, and others lugged bags on their heads. Young parents balanced children on their shoulders.

Over the past week, India's migrant workers - the mainstay of the country's labor force - spilled out of big cities that have been shuttered due to the coronavirus and returned to their villages, sparking fears that the virus could spread to the countryside.