'China delaying permission to India to send flight carrying relief materials to Wuhan'

China is delaying the grant of clearance to India's proposal to send an Indian Air Force flight to carry relief material for people affected by a coronavirus in the neighboring country and bring back Indians from its city of Wuhan, official sources said Saturday.

India was to send a C-17 military transport aircraft to Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, on February 20 but the plane could not take off as permission was not granted for the flight.

"China is deliberately delaying the grant of clearance for the evacuation flight," a high-level source said.