Libya's regional neighbors are sending planes and ships to the North African nation to evacuate thousands of foreign citizens trying to flee deadly violence triggered by a Libyan uprising against longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Tuesday Cairo is sending military and civilian aircraft to Libya to bring home some of the hundreds of thousands of Egyptians who live there. But, he said the Egyptian planes would not be landing in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi because its airport has been destroyed. He did not elaborate.
Egyptian security sources say Cairo's new military rulers also ordered troop reinforcements to Egypt's side of the border with Libya in response to the Libyan unrest. Egyptian authorities also have extended the opening hours of the Salum border crossing with Libya and sent medical teams to the site to accommodate thousands of Egyptians fleeing by land.
The Turkish government says it has sent several ships to the Libyan coast to pick up thousands of Turkish workers stranded in Benghazi, one of the cities hit hardest by the violence. Many of the Turkish citizens gathered in a Benghazi stadium Tuesday as they waited for the ships to arrive at the city's port.
Turkey says it has 25,000 citizens in Libya, many of them working in construction. Tunisia says more than 3,000 of its nationals already have fled Libya, mostly by land, and more are waiting to leave by air.
The Philippines said Tuesday it will help Philippine workers trying to leave Libya by paying for their flights. At least 26,000 Philippine citizens reside there. South Korea also urged its workers in Libya to return home after looters attacked several South Korean-operated construction sites.
The U.S. State Department issued a warning Monday for Americans to defer all travel to Libya due to the ongoing unrest, and urged those in the country to limit their movements and seek shelter, especially after dark.