NEW DELHI, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- India's Ministry of External Affairs said 119 Indian nationals, including 113 crew members and six passengers, who were onboard the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship, were brought back to New Delhi on Thursday.
The special Air India flight which arrived in the Indian capital from Tokyo also evacuated five foreign nationals, including two Sri Lankans, one Nepalese, one South African and one Peruvian.
All the evacuees will undergo a 14-day quarantine at the COVID-19 quarantine facility set up by the Indian Army in India's northern state of Haryana.
According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, three Indian crew members did not board the flight and continued their stay onboard the cruise ship to complete the extended quarantine put in place by the government of Japan.
Out of the total 138 Indian nationals originally onboard the Diamond Princess, 16 Indian crew members had tested positive for COVID-19 and were receiving medical care and treatment at onshore medical facilities in Japan.
The Indian Embassy in Tokyo had established contact with these individuals and was continuously following up on their recovery, said the statement.
The ship was put under quarantine by the government of Japan on Feb. 5 for 14 days, as one of the passengers who had disembarked from the ship had tested positive for COVID-19.
