South Korea's third evacuation flight returned from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan Wednesday morning, carrying about 140 South Koreans and their Chinese family members.

The chartered flight arrived at Gimpo International Airport at 6:23 a.m., about two hours after taking off from Tianhe International Airport. About 60 of the passengers are reportedly Chinese nationals. 

Initially, about 170 passengers applied for the flight, including some 70 Chinese nationals, and it remains unknown why some of the applicants did not board the plane. 

Upon arrival, the evacuees will undergo the South Korean government's quarantine procedures. 

If they display no symptoms of the coronavirus, they will be transported to the Joint Forces Military University's Defense Language Institute in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. There they will be isolated and monitored for any possible signs of infection for 14 days.

The government earlier sent two planes to Wuhan, the epicenter of the highly contagious virus, to bring 701 South Koreans back home. China did not allow the Koreans' Chinese family members to leave the city on those previous flights.