43 Nurses from Libya land at Kochi, Kerala- Aug,5

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 05, 2014:  The first batch of 43 Kerala nurses, stranded in war-torn Libya, arrived at Kochi on August 5.   This is the second batch of nurses who crossed over to Tunisia from Tripoli on Aug 4.  Around 80 nurses, still in Tripoli, are awaiting their turn to return to the country.

Over the last two weeks, the North African country has plunged into chaos following deadly clashes between government forces and Islamist militants in the capital Tripoli and Benghazi where more than 150 people, most of them civilians, have been killed.

Panic gripped the Indian nationals after incessant shelling rocked the area around Tripoli airport and elsewhere, in a two week-long battle since mid-July.  However, out of 430 Indian nurses based in two Tripoli hospitals, only 88 had sought help from the Indian mission.

A total of 365 nurses were based in Tripoli Medical Centre (TMC), while 71 medical staff members, comprising of technicians, paramedics and nurses, are based in Tripoli’s Al Khadra hospital, an embassy official said,  as per media net works.