Govt to evacuate 18,000 Indians from Libya

NEW DELHI: With rising death toll in anti-government protests in Libya, government today decided to evacuate its nationals numbering about 18,000 from that country.

"Arrangements for air and sea evacuation of our nationals from Libya are being finalised," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said.

Rao, along with other top officials from other ministries concerned, held a meeting to work out the logistics of the evacuation process which has already got a nod from the political leadership, sources told PTI.

They said External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has been briefing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about all the contingency plans to ensure safety and security of Indians in Libya.

According to reports, more than 300 people have been killed so far in the brutal crackdown against protesters demanding an end to Muammar Gadhafi's 41-year rule in Libya.