South Korea to airlift troops from COVID-stricken anti-piracy ship

International

18-07-2021, 09:51

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INA-sources

South Korea will airlift all troops from a ship on anti-piracy patrol in the Middle East, the Ministry of Defense said on Sunday, while a replacement team will steer the vessel back home after dozens of soldiers on board tested positive for the coronavirus.

Two aerial tankers will depart for the Middle East later on Sunday, the ministry said, confirming that 61 additional troops on the ship had tested positive for the virus following media reports of seven cases.

But worries mounted that the outbreak could be much worse and require more drastic action. Yonhap News Agency said the Joint Chiefs of Staff had received only 101 results from PCR tests of the more than 300 service members on board, while the rest may be disclosed in coming hours.

South Korea reported 1,454 new coronavirus cases for Saturday, bringing the cumulative cases at home to 177,951 and total deaths to 2,057.

Source: Reuters