US lauds IAF for evacuating 58 Indians from Coronavirus-hit Iran

The United States government praised the Indian Air Force for successfully evacuating a batch of 58 Indians from Coronavirus-hit Iran on Tuesday on an American-made transport aircraft. IAF's C-17 Globe Master was sent to evacuate the Indians stranded in Iran and landed back in India at the Hindon airbase Tuesday afternoon. The Boeing-made aircraft was bought from the US by India a few years ago and is also a part of the US Air Force's fleet.

The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the US State Department retweeted an IAF post saying the C-17 Globe Master has enhanced India's disaster response capabilities. The statement was attributed to Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) Alice Wells.

READ | IAF Aircraft With 58 Indians From Iran Lands At Hindon Airbase

Evacuees under quarantine

All the evacuated Indian nationals were immediately quarantined upon their arrival at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and will remain in isolation for the next 14 days. The aircraft also brought swab samples of 529 Indians to carry out laboratory tests and check whether they have Coronavirus infection. The IAF aircraft had departed on Monday evening from India with a medical team on board. Earlier, the government had also sent planes to China to evacuate Indian citizens from Wuhan, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak.

READ | Indians Evacuated From Iran Quarantined At Hindon Airbase For Next 14 Days

Cases in India rise by the day

Fourteen more people have tested positive for Coronavirus — eight in Kerala and three each in Karnataka and Maharashtra, state authorities said on Tuesday as the number of such cases went up to 61 and amid the COVID-19 scare, a combination of two anti-HIV drugs was used for the first time in India in the treatment of two patients.

The health ministry said the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 50, adding the rest are being retested for confirmation. If the fresh cases declared by the state governments are taken into account, the figure goes up to 61.

(With PTI inputs) (Photo: Twitter/@DrSJaishankar)

READ | 'Mission Completed': S Jaishankar After Airlifting 58 Indian Pilgrims From Iran

READ | 14 More Coronavirus Cases In Kerala, Karnataka, Pune; 58 Indians Brought Back From Iran