Over 2,000 Pak students stuck in Wuhan plead for their immediate evacuation

Over 2,000 Pakistani students stuck in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus, have appealed to the Imran Khan government to rescue them immediately, according to a media report.

Wuhan has been under a virtual lockdown for days, with transport suspended and citizens told to stay home as the death toll from the viral epidemic that originated in the city soared to 106 on Tuesday morning and the the confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the outbreak touched 4,515.

Hafsah Tayab, one of the students stuck in the city of Wuhan, said that other countries are planning to get their citizens out of the city through special flights. "Embassies of other countries (excluding Pakistan) are rescuing their citizens. There are over 500 Pakistani students in Wuhan. If even one of them gets affected, the others will be in danger," she told Geo News on Monday.

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"There is a shortage of essentials and if this situation persists, we will run out of food very soon," Tayab said in a video message uploaded on social media, adding that she and her fellow students have been confined to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. New infections are being reported as many countries step up efforts to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan.

The US, Germany and France are among several countries planning to take such measures. "We plead that the authorities take notice of our situation on a humanitarian basis and do something about it. We will be grateful to you all our lives," another student was heard saying in the video.

According to a student from the Wuhan University of Science and Technology, there are about 200 Pakistani students in the institute, and a total of 2,000 in other universities in the city. "A few days ago, Pakistani students stuck in Wuhan were very scared. However, the Pakistani embassy in Beijing has made efforts to provide us with what we need," Tayab was quoted as saying.

The Foreign Office in Islamabad has confirmed that efforts are being made to help out the students. The officials are in constant touch with Chinese authorities in order to make necessary arrangements for Pakistanis struck in the affected areas, Foreign Office Spokesperson Aaisha Forooqui said. 

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