Evacuation of Indians residing in Libya has been started
NEW DELHI: Today India begun to evacuate its citizens from the north African country Libya by sending two Air India planes to its capital Tripoli. There are at least 18,000 Indians in Libya, including an estimated 3,000 in Benghazi, where the airport has been rendered unusable due to the fighting.
A senior Air India official told, “Two planes, one from Mumbai and one from Delhi, left for Tripoli at around 1:30 a.m., reached Tripoli by afternoon and passengers have begun boarding.”
The special flights, two in a day, will bring back Indians stranded in Libya, where a revolt against the Muammar Gaddafi government has turned violent.
Air India official informed both the planes were expected to bring back around 700 passengers.
“We have sent one boeing 747 Jumbo and another Air-Bus A330 for the evacuation,” the official added.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had Friday said India was closely watching the developments in the region hit by unrest and advocated democracy in the fast-changing scenario.
He denied that the government had been slow in responding to the situation. The minister had also denied allegations that the government was charging passengers for the evacuation and cautioned people against those trying to exploit the situation. The government has also chartered a 1,200 seater passenger ferry.
