A total of 61,710 Egyptian nationals had been evacuated from Libya as of Saturday evening, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday.
Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Abdel Hakim told reporters that Egypt had also welcomed 12,050 Arab and foreign nationals that had arrived in Egypt from Libya by way of the Salloum border crossing or from Cairo Airport.
Abdel Hakim noted that national carrier EgyptAir had announced on Sunday that 41 flights would be dispatched to Libya and Tunisia for Egyptians fleeing violence in the troubled North African nation ruled by longtime strongman Moammar Qadhafi.
EgyptAir Chairman Hussein Massoud said that Libyan authorities had agreed to allow 21 EgyptAir flights to touch down at Tripoli Airport and one at Sirte Airport.
Egypt's national carrier will operate another 17 flights to the Tunisian city of Djerba for Egyptians who fled to Tunisia, along with two other flights to Algeria's In Amenas Airport.
Abdel Hakim added that Egypt's Foreign Ministry was facilitating in the transit of foreign diplomatic personnel through Egypt’s seaports so they might return to their respective home countries.
The Egyptian Armed Forces, meanwhile, has dispatched four ferries to Tunisian seaports to evacuate Egyptians who crossed the Libyan border into Tunisia, said Abdel Hakim.
Egypt has the largest foreign community in Libya, with around 1.5 million Egyptian expatriates working in the country.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
