Thousands of evacuees (from Libya) land in Malta / Two navy ships leave Mumbai to evacuate Indians

[Turborama]

Source: AFP

Sat, Feb 26, 2011

VALLETTA - A British warship and a Chinese-chartered ferry arrived in Malta on Saturday loaded with thousands of evacuees from Libya in an exodus of foreign nationals fleeing the oil-rich North African state.

The HMS Cumberland frigate had left the rebel-held port of Benghazi in eastern Libya on Thursday carrying 207 passengers but was forced to travel at a reduced speed because of the rough weather in the Mediterranean.

The vessel carried citizens from 20 countries -- part of a vast multinational workforce including oil executives, builders and domestic workers who are escaping by air, land and sea amid fears of a full-blown civil war.

A ferry that docked in Malta on Saturday carried 2,216 Chinese nationals also from Benghazi, who will remain on board until planes come to pick them up.

Read more: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20110226-265481.html

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Two navy ships leave Mumbai to evacuate Indians in Libya

Published: Saturday, Feb 26, 2011, 14:22 IST
Place: Mumbai | Agency: PTI

Two naval warships today left Mumbai to bring home Indians from strife-hit Libya.

"INS Jalashwa and INS Mysore have left Mumbai and will bring back Indians from Libya," a defence spokesperson said.

The action follows a request to the defence ministry to help evacuate Indian nationals from that country.

INS Jalashwa, a landing platform dock type of amphibious platform is particularly designed for sea lift missions and is also capable of undertaking humanitarian missions. INS Mysore, is a potent destroyer of the Delhi class.

Read more: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_two-navy-ships-leave-mumbai-to-evacuate-indians-in-libya_1512941
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Factbox: Evacuations by country

Source: Reuters

February 26, 2011

Here: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Factbox-Evacuations-by-country/Article1-667168.aspx

[dipsydoodle]

1. So far

the Chinese seem to have been the best organised in evacuating their citizens - 16,000 evacuated !


More than 2,800 Chinese workers landed in Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete aboard a Greek ship Saturday. Further to the west, another 2,200 Chinese arrived in Valletta, the capital of Malta, on a ship from the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi. Hours earlier, in the dark of night, a U.S-chartered ferry dropped off over 300 passengers in Valletta after a voyage from Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

The sheer numbers of foreigners leaving Libya as Moammar Gadhafi's regime attacks anti-government protesters has been staggering. As of Saturday, at least 16,000 Chinese workers and 10,000 Turks had been evacuated, most working in the construction and oil industries.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hGRh3QgCjgCEpRvsFOUvEJFVNxgw?docId=1f4c1de2ae3e463cb1a66aca0895c6b1

[Turborama]

2. Those Chinese stats are very impressive

The whole thing has a Dunkirk evacuation feel about it.

Report now on Sky from the Libya Tunisia border, total chaos as thousands of evacuees arrive.