Japan sent a first plane to the Chinese city of Wuhan on Tuesday night to evacuate citizens from the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak, a foreign ministry official said.

The plane left around 8:00 pm (1100 GMT), the official confirmed and was expected to return to Tokyo on Wednesday morning carrying several hundred Japanese nationals.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi earlier announced the plans, saying efforts were being made to arrange additional evacuation flights.