WASHINGTON — Two planes with about 300 passengers, mostly U.S. citizens, took off from the Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday bound for the United States -- the third group of evacuees from the heart of the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. State Department said. One of the flights had room to accommodate more than 60 Canadians, who will disembark on a stopover in Vancouver, British Columbia, before the remaining passengers continue on to the United States, a State Department spokeswoman told Reuters. The plane stopping in Vancouver will fly on to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Southern California, the Pentagon said in a separate statement. The second aircraft is headed for Omaha, Nebraska, by way of Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, following a refueling stop in California, the Defense Department said. Both planes are due to arrive on Friday.

Source: International New York Times February 07, 2020 01:47 UTC