Port Blair, Mar 31 (PTI) Two special flights carrying essential items arrived in Port Blair on Tuesday as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands grapple to combat the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

A special flight operated by national carrier Air India arrived around 11.30 am with masks, medical equipment and other items, they said.

Later in the day, the Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster aircraft arrived with essential items, they said.

Total 21 people from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands attended the religious congregation at Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin West and of them, 10 have tested positive, officials said.

They are undergoing treatment at the G B Pant Hospital here.

The islands, home to several vulnerable tribes, have been put on alert following the COVID-19 outbreak.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)