The New Zealand Government has agreed with Air New Zealand to charter an aircraft to assist New Zealanders in leaving Wuhan, China.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters says the aircraft will have the capacity for around 300 passengers and will fly from Wuhan to New Zealand.

He says the Government is working on how to bring New Zealanders home from Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

New Zealanders in the Hubei region who are registered on Safetravel have been emailed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to register interest in the flight, which is subject to Chinese Government approval.

The government earlier announced it will evacuate New Zealanders from the city in conjunction with Australia, either by chartered commercial plane or military plane.

Chinese officials have confirmed over 7,700 cases of the mysterious illness.

The death toll rose to 170 in China, and the number of infections jumped by nearly 30 percent.

[Source: Stuff.Co]