83 Chinese citizens evacuated to Egypt from Libya
"We have heard gunfire all day and all night, all of our equipment including mobile cars, forklifts and carry-scrapers, even our mobile phones have been robbed. However, we are feeling safer now," one of the Chinese workers told Xinhua at the Alexandria airport. "Our Embassy officials treated us very well, they provided us with hot meals and two Arabic translators."
Two foreign engineers who worked for the university project, one from Britain and the other from the Philippines, traveled with the Chinese nationals and left for their countries Wednesday.
"We will try our best to ensure every Chinese national's safety. It is our duty," said one of the officials from the Chinese Consulate in Alexandria, who has been working for the evacuation work for nearly 48 hours consecutively.
Feeling happy that they can be reunited with their family on Thursday, many Chinese workers are concerned about other Chinese nationals' safety in the turbulent country.
"My elder brother works for a construction project near Benghazi, the situation there is much worse. I could not contact him, and I am worrying about him and other Chinese workers," a Chinese construction worker said.
China on Tuesday urged Libya to take substantial measures to protect Chinese nationals in the country and to facilitate their evacuation.
Li Baodong, permanent representative of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, said after a closed-door Security Council meeting on Libya that China is "very concerned" about the current situation in Libya and hopes the country "can restore social stability and political order as soon as possible."
"I urge the Libyan government and all parties concerned to ensure life and property safety of Chinese and other foreign nationals in Libya, and call on all parties to enhance international cooperation and facilitate their evacuation," Li said.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have ordered all-out efforts to ensure life and property safety of Chinese nationals in Libya.
Hu and Wen asked relevant authorities to take timely and effective measures to achieve the aim. An emergency center was also set up to organize the evacuation of Chinese in Libya -- people from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
