Black smoke billows over the skyline as a fire at the oil depot for the airport rages out of control after being struck in the crossfire of warring militias battling for control of the airfield, in Tripoli, Libya on July 28, 2014.
In a letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today sought her help in bringing back several nurses from the state who are stranded in strife-torn Libya.
Mr Chandy's appeal comes amid spiraling violence in Libya, where fighting between rival militias has turned major cities like Tripoli and Benghazi into unstable conflict zones.
In his letter, Mr Chandy has demanded that provisions for airlifting those stranded should be made from the only functional international airport in Libya, or they should be evacuated from neighbouring Tunisia.
"115 nurses and three others have called us for help, requesting to be evacuated. Majority of them are from Tripoli," said sources in the Non Resident Keralites Affairs or NORKA, the government department that deals with issues facing Non-Resident Keralites.
Ms Swaraj had earlier reviewed the situation in Libya and how it impacts the approximately 6,000 Indians stranded there. She has also assured Mr Chandy -- who had urged the Centre to organize a special plane to bring back the nurses -- of all possible help, said sources in the External Affairs Ministry.
India's Mission in Tripoli is currently in touch with 4,500 Indians in Libya; 750 of them are nurses.
The Mission had yesterday advised all its nationals to leave the country using all available means. It has also deployed additional staffers to facilitate the return of Indian nations.
Prior to the uprising in Libya, the number of Indians engaged there was estimated to be more than 18,000. Few hundred Indians continued to serve in Libya even during the NATO-backed offensive that ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Earlier in July, the Indian government had brought back 46 Indian nurses, set free by Sunni militants in war-torn Iraq, by a special Air India flight.