Coronavirus rescue plane leaving China 'very empty' amid fears Brits may still be stranded

Photos from a plane taking British nationals from coronavirus-hit China show empty seats
@mr_bkav

Dozens of British nationals may still be stranded in China's coronavirus zone after a rescue plane left with considerably fewer passengers than anticipated.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed the charted flight from Wuhan, where the deadly illness is thought to have originated, was carrying 83 Britons when it took off on Thursday night.

But the government was expecting 150 passengers to board the flight out of the Chinese city after a global health emergency was declared over the outbreak.

Those who boarded the aircraft have told how the plane was “very empty” and raised fears many people may not have made the flight and would now remain stuck.

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Chris Hill, 38, chose not to board the flight back to the UK after the Foreign Office could not say if four-year-old Renee would be allowed on board because she is a Chinese national.

He said: "When [the Foreign Office] called me they said they would not be able to say if my family could go with me or not.

"I said 'Oh OK so you cannot confirm in any way that they could travel with me', and they said 'We're trying our best but we can't guarantee anything,' so I said 'No, I'm not going'.

"The whole point of saying you can go to the airport and try is like going well, it may happen, it may not. So it means if you take your family to the airport, and then they turn around and say no, what would happen?”

Passengers wear protective masks as they walk he their luggagein the arrivals area at Beijing Capital Airport
Getty Images

Nick House said he was only given three hours' notice that the flight was leaving, with British officials warning that the Chinese government potentially wouldn't allow his wife, who is from Indonesia, on board.

They gave up their seats on the plane in the hope that others would be able to take the flight, Mr House told Sky News.

"We have no transport. There was no way for us to get to the airport. So we're still here,” he said.

"We're resigned to being here for a while now. We are hopeful that the government can arrange other flights or put us on a flight to a different country.

"We're just trying to make the best out of a pretty terrible situation to be honest."

Speaking from the plane, Joe Armitt told the broadcaster the plane “is very empty" and said many were unable to get the flight because they were not given enough notice to get to the airport.

The flight is expected to arrive at the Brize Norton RAF base in Oxfordshire around 1pm UK time, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The evacuation came after the UK's four chief medical officers raised the risk level of the illness from low to moderate and the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an international public health emergency.

Chinese health officials said on Friday morning the death toll in the country from the virus had risen to 213, up from 170 a day earlier, with the number of known cases rising from 7,711 to 9,692.

No deaths have occurred outside China, although 82 cases have been confirmed across 18 countries.

The WHO's announcement led Virgin Atlantic to suspend its flights between the UK and China for two weeks starting on Saturday.

British Airways on Thursday extended its suspension of China flights until Monday.

The British passengers on the evacuation flight - who have mainly been in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province - will be taken to an NHS facility on the Wirral for a quarantine period of 14 days.

It is understood they will be taken to a former student accommodation block in the grounds of Arrowe Park Hospital, where passengers will have access to the internet in order to contact relatives.

After the British passengers disembark, the flight will continue to Spain, where EU countries will process the non-British evacuees.

"It's welcome news that our evacuation flight has now left Wuhan," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

"We know how distressing the situation has been for those waiting to leave. We have been working round the clock to clear the way for a safe departure. The welfare of those trapped and public safety have been our overriding priorities."

After British Airways extended its China flights suspension until Monday, Virgin Atlantic released a statement late on Thursday night saying its China services would cease for a fortnight after the arrival of its flight from Shanghai on Saturday.

"This decision has been made with the safety of customers and staff at the front of our minds," the airline said.

The new virus has now infected more people in China than fell ill during the 2002-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak.

As of Thursday, 161 people have tested negative for the virus in the UK and 124 people have recovered and have since been discharged from hospital in China.

In a letter following WHO's announcement, the chief medical officers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland said: "In light of the increasing number of cases in China and using existing and widely tested models, the four UK chief medical officers consider it prudent for our governments to escalate planning and preparation in case of a more widespread outbreak."

They added that it is "likely" there will be individual cases in the UK, but that they are "confident in the ability of the NHS and HSC in Northern Ireland to manage these in a way that protects the public and provides high-quality care".

Officials had been working to secure a flight out of Wuhan for British nationals after one planned for Thursday failed to get clearance from Chinese authorities.

Mr Raab said officials had "been working tirelessly" to get citizens out of Wuhan. It is understood that the FCO tried to ensure families can remain together and relatives with dual citizenship are allowed on the flight.

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