LONDON, United Kingdom — Less than 10 of 50 Jamaicans scheduled for deportation from the UK on Wednesday boarded a charter flight from the country after dozens had their tickets cancelled just hours or days before departure for varying reasons.

The flight was tainted with controversy as the UK Home Office pushed ahead with it despite calls from the Jamaican government for the operation to be cancelled due to concerns over potential COVID-19 cases among detainees. And, according to The Independent, there were at least two confirmed coronavirus cases among the detainees at the Colnbrook removal centre days before the flight.

The Jamaican government reportedly also expressed concerns about removal instructions being given to people who arrived in the UK as children despite previous policy against such actions.

However, The Independent reported that no one who arrived in the UK under 12 years of age was on Wednesday’s flight, which departed about 1:00 am.

Some of the last minute cancellations involved detainees who sought legal representation to argue their right to British citizenship under the Windrush scheme, while others reportedly attempted suicide in the hours before the flight and were admitted in the hospital.