Cameroonians stranded in Wuhan, the provincial capital of the Hubei province of China, are calling on their government to come to their rescue as the deadly coronavirus continues to spread.

Wuhan is the epicentre of the epidemic that has so far killed at least 170 people, with over 7,000 cases recorded in China alone.

The more than 300 Cameroonians working and living in China say they have been ignored by their embassy officials, and so they have decided to take their case to the president of the republic.

In an open letter to President Paul Biya, the stranded Cameroonians say the lockdown measures taken by the Chinese government in Wuhan have made it harder for them to get basic goods like food and water:

“With shopping centres, markets, and transportation at a standstill, we are therefore very anxious about the future of events. Wuhan has been in quarantine since 23 January 2020, Mr President,” the letter states.

“We know that it’s going to be maybe difficult for an evacuation, but what we need is mostly the moral support from our government. We also need physical support such as surgical masks, we need food and water,” it adds.