PASSENGERS began disembarking yesterday from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship after spending two weeks in quarantine off Yokohama, near Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK said.

Around 500 people were expected to disembark yesterday with the entire process to be completed by Friday, NHK reported.

The Diamond Princess, operated by Carnival Corp, has been quarantined in Yokohama since Feb. 3 after a man, who disembarked in Hong Kong before it traveled to Japan, was diagnosed with the virus.

A total of 621 people have been infected with the virus on the liner, which originally carried some 3,700 passengers and crew. Many of those infected have been transfered to hospitals. About half the passengers are Japanese.

Chinese passengers disembarking from the cruise ship will take chartered flight to leave for Hong Kong from Haneda Airport in Tokyo at 1:45 a.m. today, media reports said.

The U.S. evacuated more than 300 nationals Monday on two chartered flights and six South Koreans and one Japanese spouse flew to South Korea yesterday morning on a chartered flight. (SD-Agencies)