The repatriation of around 171 Bangladeshi nationals stuck in Yichang, China, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak that claimed 722 lives until Saturday, will not be possible currently, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.
"We spent a lot of time for those intending to return. However, it is still not possible (to bring them back). The Biman crew members who brought back some 312 Bangladeshis from China are now in effect barred from flying to other countries," he said.
Momen went on to say: "Only a Chinese chartered flight could return them. Earlier, Chinese authorities agreed to do so, but later declined. We are not able to send any flights there. Even crew members are not willing to travel (to China)," he said.
The minister was talking to reporters after attending a program at a hotel in Dhaka on Saturday.
The foreign minister made the disclosure just five days after Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam informed the media that around 171 Bangladeshis would be flown out of China upon clearance from Chinese authorities.
