A total of 218 Indians, including 211 students, stranded in coronavirus-hit Italy arrived in India on Sunday, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said.
He said all of them would be quarantined for 14 days.
“218 Indians including 211 students from Milan landed in Delhi. All will be quarantined for 14 days. GoI (Government of India) is committed to reaching out to Indians in distress, wherever they are,” Muraleedharan tweeted.
“Appreciate Govt. of Italy for their support and team @IndiainItaly @cgmilan1 @airindiain @DrSJaishankar,” he added.
The flight landed around 9.45 am at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, an airport official said.
“Air India always spreads its wings to stand by the nation in its hour of need,” an airline spokesperson said soon after the flight from Milan landed here.
The coronavirus outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, has led to more than 5,000 deaths globally.
The government has suspended all visas, barring a few categories like diplomatic and employment, in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus as cases across India rose to more than 90.
The government has been carrying out the evacuation of Indians from countries, including Iran and Italy.