NEW DELHI: The Libyan government has given India permission to land planes in the violence hit country to begin the mass evacuation of some 18,000 Indians living there, a minister said Friday.
Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that two Air India flights a day would be allowed to land in Libya from Saturday, adding to other efforts to rescue trapped citizens by sea.
"As per the schedule informed by Air India today, two flights per day from tomorrow to March 7 will be operated," Krishna said, adding that India was also considering dispatching three warships to help in the effort.
A passenger ferry, the "Scotia Prince," with the capacity to carry 1,200 people is scheduled to arrive in Libya on Sunday and will take evacuees to Alexandria in Egypt, from where they will be flown home.
Of the 18,000 Indians in Libya, about 3,000 are reportedly in the eastern city of Benghazi working for car companies and in hospitals.
Fears of a full scale civil war in the North African country have prompted countries from Canada to China to scramble to charter ferries and planes to get their citizens out.
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