US, others prepare evacuations as virus spreads from China

Joe McDonald

The Associated Press

The United States and several other nations prepared Tuesday, Jan. 28, to airlift citizens out of a Chinese city at the center of a virus outbreak that has killed more than 100 people.

Hong Kong's leader said it will cut all rail links to mainland China and halve the number of flights as authorities in China and overseas sought to stem the spread of the new virus. The number of confirmed cases rose to more than 4,500.

The U.S. government chartered a plane to fly out diplomats from the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, where the outbreak started, and other Americans. Th...