Chinese flee Libya to Greece
Print Edition
A GREEK navy frigate carrying nearly 200 people, including embassy staff, from China, Greece and other countries evacuated from the conflict in Libya arrived at the port of Piraeus near Athens early yesterday.
Passengers on the “Salamis” — 78 Chinese, 77 Greeks, 10 Britons, seven Belgians, one Russian and one Albanian — described a deteriorating security situation in the Libyan capital Tripoli, with frequent power and water cuts.
The Greek evacuation followed similar action by other European countries, as fighting between rival militias intensified in recent weeks. Poland said on Friday it had evacuated two dozen Poles and citizens of two other countries. All of Poland’s diplomats have now left the country.
Britain said it will suspend work at its consulate in Tripoli once it has completed assisting the departure of British nationals.
“We were hearing explosions all the time, but the fighting was on the outskirts of Tripoli,” said Mustafa Avocat, a Greek-Libyan accountant, moments after stepping off the Greek frigate.
Constantine Koutras, a spokesman for the Greek Foreign Ministry, said moving embassy staff to the port was the most difficult part of the operation.
“I was on the phone to our charge d’affaires ... and I could hear the sound of gunfire in the background,” he said.
About 20 Filipinos arrived in Manila yesterday after escaping from Libya through Tunisia.
“At the border in Tunisia, it was like we had one foot already in the grave,” Abraham Brios, a cook for a Libyan family who returned with his wife, said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
