NEW DELHI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sixteen evacuees from Afghanistan have tested positive for COVID-19, local media reports said Wednesday.
The 16 were among the 78 that landed in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Reports said all the passengers have been quarantined as a measure of precaution.
The tests were conducted upon their arrival at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi.
"All 16 returnees are said to be asymptomatic - patients who don't exhibit any symptoms for the virus," a media report said.
So far 626 people, including 228 Indian citizens and 77 Afghan nationals belonging to the Sikh community, have been evacuated from Afghanistan.
A directive issued by the federal health ministry on Monday said people arriving from Afghanistan would have to undergo a mandatory minimum 14-day institutional quarantine.
Officials said the Indian government was working closely with the United States, whose forces control the interior sections of the Kabul airport, to facilitate the return of its stranded citizens.
Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15 after President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Enditem
