Turkish foreign minister on Tuesday said two Turkish ferries were expected to arrive in Libya in the afternoon to evacuate nearly 3,000 Turkish nationals from the troubled North African country, Anadolu News Agency reported.
"The two ships we have sent to Libya are expected to arrive in Benghazi later in the afternoon. We have received all clearances and we think we could evacuate nearly 3,000 of our citizens back to Turkey," Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters during a joint press conference with his Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn in Turkish capital, Ankara.
Around 25 thousand Turkish nationals live or work in Libya with nearly 5,000 are in and around Benghazi. Turkey has launched an evacuation plan to pick them up by sea and land as air transportation was hampered after Libyan authorities closed airports to incoming and outgoing flights.
Davutoglu said preparations were underway to send two more ships to Libya, adding that Tripoli port could also be used for the evacuation efforts.
"Luckily, we have received no report of casualties from our citizens there," Davutoglu said.