Chinese Ambassador in Bangladesh Li Jiming has advised against evacuating 171 Bangladeshi nationals from the locked-down cities in China's Hubei province, the epicentre of a deadly coronavirus, bdnews24 reported.

"There are risks in bringing them back now," he said while speaking to reporters

Bangladesh evacuated 312 citizens and quarantined them in Dhaka on Feb 1.

Another 171 Bangladeshi nationals studying in Yichang, some 285 kilometres from Wuhan, are also keen to return home amid the outbreak, according to the government. But the refusal of pilots and crew to fly to China is hampering efforts to bring them back.

"They could fall in harm's way if they take a bus out of Yichang. That's why I recommend not bringing them back," Jiming said.