Plane carrying Maldivian students from Bangladesh, Nepal arrives

A military plane of Bangladeshi Air force has arrived in the Maldives carrying Maldivian students and a team of medical professionals from Bangladesh.

The plane carrying 71 students landed at the Velana International Airport in the evening.

Apart from the 71 students, a ten-member strong team of medical professionals from Bangladesh also arrived to assist the Maldives in its bid to contain the spread of Covid-19. The students evacuated today include 18 Maldivian students studying in Nepal as well.

Bangladesh Air-force Lockheed C130J Hercules is scheduled to arrive today at 15:30 local time to @VelanaAirport bringing back 70 Maldivian nationals who were stranded at Bangladesh and Nepal and also a 10 member Bangladeshi medical team who will be assisting with the COVID19.. pic.twitter.com/0AA0Yza740

— AviatorsMaldives (@AviatorsMaldive) April 20, 2020

They will all have to complete a mandatory quarantine period of 14-days.

70 Bangladeshi nationals living undocumented in the Maldives will also be repatriated back to Bangladesh in the same plane when it departs, said government spokesperson Mabrouq Azeez.

Maldivian students in Bangladesh were previously evacuated as the virus began spreading in Bangladesh by a Maldivian flight.

Human Rights Watch has previously stated that the dire conditions of migrant workers in the Maldives meant that they were at risk the most if the virus was to spread in the nation. It is estimated that migrant workers make up 15 percent of the population of Maldives.

The Maldives has so far confirmed 67 cases of Covid-19.