Moscow: Russia's Ministry for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense or EMERCOM is preparing
its jets for evacuation of Russian citizens from the violence-stricken Libya, an official said.
An Ilyushin-62, a Yakovlev-42, and two Ilyushin-76 cargo
carriers may take off and head for Tripoli as early as
Tuesday, Irina Andrianova, the chief of EMERCOM press service
said on Monday.
"Two more jets, an Ilyushin-76 and a Yakovlev-42, are on
the standby," Andrianova said.
"We hope four jets will be able to leave for Libya in the
morning of Tuesday, February 22," she said. "The Ilyushin-62
will be the first one to take off. The early data we have
indicates there are about 500 Russian citizens to be
evacuated."
President Dmitry Medvedev's press secretary Natalya
Timakova said earlier the President had issued an instruction
to the Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Minister Sergei
Shoigu and the president of the Russian state railway
corporation RZD, Vladimir Yakunin, to draft plans for a
possible evacuation of the Russian nationals stranded in the
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
"The President gave an instruction to consider all the
details for a possible evacuation of Russians from Libya,"
Timakova said.
Anti-government riots spread to the capital Tripoli on
Sunday. The information coming from the country is highly
controversial but some Arabic news media suggest hundreds of
people have already died in clashes between the supporters and
opponents of the Libyan leader, Muamar Gaddafi.
Thousands more people have reportedly been wounded.
Official Libyan sources speak of 84 people killed.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 16:41