9,200 Indians rescued from Libya

India said over 9,200 people had been evacuated from the strife-torn country on Saturday

India said over 9,200 people had been evacuated from the strife-torn country

But thousands are waiting to be brought home. The external ministry said that in the past 24 hours, two Air India special flights from Tripoli, one from Sebha in Libya and three flights from Djerba in neighbouring Tunisia, had reached India.

Two other chartered flights, including one of Egypt Air, flew in 170 and 190 people respectively to India from Tunisia, the ministry said. Dubbed 'Operation Safe Homecoming', India last week began the evacuation -- the biggest mounted since the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that forced thousands of Indians to flee to Jordan from where they flew home. Nearly 18,000 Indians lived in Libya when widespread protests against Muammar Gaddafi erupted.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0