CYPRUS / TURKEY: Foreign civilians fleeing fighting in Lebanon arrive in Cyprus and Turkey

Record ID: 755547

  • Title: CYPRUS / TURKEY: Foreign civilians fleeing fighting in Lebanon arrive in Cyprus and Turkey
  • Date: 19th July 2006
  • Summary: SAILOR CARRYING CHILD DOWN GANGPLANK AND BEING PHOTOGRAPHED BY OTHER SAILORS BUSES LINED UP
  • Embargoed: 3rd August 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA1GRSBOMRXKVRVW7DNW8QDHYEG
  • Story Text: A British Royal Navy destroyer carrying people to safety from Lebanon arrived in Cyprus, 75 kilometres (45 miles away) on Wednesday (July 19).
    HMS Gloucester docked in Limassol with almost 180 civilians on board, most of them British.
    Six British ships, including two aircraft carriers, are standing by to rescue an estimated 5,000 Britons.
    A mother of triplets, Elisa Mazegi, said in Limassol that she had thought the bombing of Lebanon would be over within a few days, but it was getting worse; then she was told that the embassy was giving evacuation priority to families with babies.
    The Moujeine family was also rescued by HMS Gloucester and mother Maria said people were surprisingly cheerful.
    Britain's High Commissioner in Cyprus, Peter Millett, said in Limassol: "We have an extra 30 staff, we have brought down other people from Nicosia as well to ensure that we can process these people. Those who are not of British nationality will be looked after by their own embassies here. But our aim is to get them (British) out on a plane, back to the UK back to their loved ones as soon as we possibly can."
    Millet said other vessels were expected in Cyprus.
    "This is going to be the first of quite a number of vessels coming in, helping to evacuate all those in Lebanon who want to leave. It is going to be a major effort to do this over the next couple of days, we will need to move and be flexible, move our resources around to ensure that we can do this in as safe and effective a way as we possibly can," said Millett.
    The Israeli bombardment of Lebanon has killed 262 people in eight days, all but 27 of them civilians. Israel attacked Lebanon after Hizbollah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a cross-border raid on July
    Hizbollah rocket strikes have killed 13 civilians in Israel.
    Sweden was collecting 1,500 people from Lebanon early on Wednesday and some of them were taken immediately by boat to Mersin in Turkey.
    Lebanon's tourist season was approaching its height when the conflict erupted, stranding thousands of surprised foreigners.
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