7 Bulgarians Evacuated on Turkish Ferry from Libya's Misrata

Turkish first aid staff treat an injured Libyan onboard the Turkish ferry, the 'Ankara', in the port in Benghazi, Libya on 03 April 2011. EPA/BGNES

Turkish ferry boat "Ankara" has evacuated 1 025 people from the besieged Libyan city of Misrata, including seven Bulgarian citizens.

Most of the evacuees are Egyptians, and the Turkish ferry boat has set off for the Egyptian port of Alexandria, where it is expected to arrive on April 14. After that, the Turkish vessel will go back to Misrata to evacuated more Egyptian citizens.

Turkey is carrying out the rescue operation at the request of the transitional authorities in Cairo.

Last week the Turkish ferry brought some 300 wounded Libyans to the Turkish city of Izmir for treatment. The ferry operation is part of Turkey's humanitarian commitment to providing relief for Libya where the regime of dictator Muammar Gaddafi is fighting an uprising while facing NATO-led air strikes.

The Libyan city of Misrata has been the scence of fierce fighting between the Gaddafi forces and the rebels leaving its inhabitants in a dire humanitarian situation.

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