Indian Embassy Rescues 263 Indians From Italy Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

In a significant development, the Embassy of India in Italy on March 21 rescued 263 Indian students from Rome, fulfilling the commitment to ensure their safe return home. So far, around 1600 Indians have been returned from other countries.

Taking to Twitter, the Embassy apprised about the departure and extended its profound gratitude towards Air India and Italian authorities.

Earlier, over 450 Indians, including students, stranded in Coronavirus-hit Iran and Italy were brought back by two flights on March 15 and were quarantined at separate facilities, according to officials. A total of 218 Indians, mostly students, from Milan landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), last week and were taken to an ITBP quarantine facility in south-west Delhi’s Chhawla area.

More than 230 Indians brought back from Iran on the same day and were quarantined at the Indian Army Wellness Centre in Jaisalmer, the third batch to be evacuated from that country.

Meanwhile, the number of positive cases in India have soared up to around 300, and four death has been reported so far.

Italy’s COVID-19 death toll has surged by 793 over the past 24 hours, which is a new record high increase, and has reached 4,825, the head of the country’s Civil Protection Department, Angelo Borrelli said on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, [the number] of those died increased by 793 over the past 24 hours,” Borrelli said at a briefing.

He added that 943 more people have recovered, bringing the total number to 6,062. The number of COVID-19-infected people in Italy has increased by 4,800 over the past 24 hours, surpassing 42,000.