British tourists stranded in Nepal wait for repatriation flight

Stranded British nationals boarded a chartered flight in Kathmandu on Wednesday in their first chance to leave Nepal since the country went into lockdown.

Nepal is battling the spread of the coronavirus with the government halting all flights and ground transportation as well as shutting offices and businesses.

The British government has launched a £75 million (92 million US dollar) operation to bring home foreign nationals currently stuck abroad due to the virus.

The flight had 268 passengers on board and was headed to London.

Tourist from other countries including the US and Australia have already been flown home from Nepal by their national governments.

Luke Tiller said he had been watching other people fly home for the past two weeks while he had been stuck waiting for a flight.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.