The Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has run the nation's affairs since the 11 February ouster of longstanding president Hosni Mubarak, announced on Thursday that 25,547 Egyptian nationals had so far returned from Libya through the Salloum border crossing since the eruption of a popular uprising in that country.
The council also said that 101 Egyptians, along with 604 people of other nationalities, had departed Egypt for Libya.
On its Facebook page, the council announced that three Egyptians had been killed and five others wounded in the ongoing uprising.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Ministry of Transportation refused to provide ferries to transport Egyptian nationals from the Libyan seaports of Benghazi and Tobruk out of fear that Libyan warships might open fire on protesters east of the country.
Newly-appointed Minister of Transportation Atef Abdel Hamid said the Salloum land crossing should be adequate for the return of Egyptians from Libya, noting that the armed forces and Foreign Ministry would transport returnees to their respective cities of residence for free.
