Two special planes to evacuate Filipinos from Diamond Princess

Two chartered planes arranged by the Philippines government to evacuate Filipinos from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have departed Tokyo, according to the Philippines' Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The first plane carries 311 evacuees, two Philippine diplomats and four medical staff, while 140 people are on board the second plane.

The two planes are scheduled to land in the Philippines' Clark Air Base at 8:30 p.m. and 10:40 p.m. local time on Tuesday night. They will be under 14-day quarantine upon arriving.

As of February 25, 80 Filipinos aboard the Diamond Princess are confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. A total of 538 Filipinos, including 531 cruise ship staff and seven passengers were on the ship.