COVID-19: 263 Indian students from Rome depart to India on special Air India flight on Sunday

A total of 263 Indian students and compassionate cases on Sunday departed for India by a special Air India flight from Rome, as the coronavirus cases in Italy continue to surge in the country along with the rising death toll. "263 Indian students and compassionate cases departed for India by special Air India flight from Rome fulfilling our commitment to ensure their safe return home. Sincere folded hands to Air India and Italian authorities," Embassy of India in Italy tweeted.

On Wednesday, the Indian embassy in Italy had said it was assisting more than 300 Indian students stranded in the capital Rome and nearby areas amid the outbreak of coronavirus that has infected nearly 28,000 people in the European nation. "We are doing all that is possible within our limited resources, despite the current lock-down, to support and assist more than 300 Indian students in Rome and nearby areas. Their swab tests have been taken over the weekend and reports are awaited," the Embassy tweeted.

The Indian government had earlier evacuated 218 Indians -- mostly students -- from the Italian city of Milan. Italy has reported over 42,000 confirmed cases of the virus, while 4825 people have died from the disease -- the most outside of China. Globally, 2,66,000 people have been infected, while over 11,000 have died from COVID-19, as per the latest available data on the World Health Organisation (WHO) website.