Six flights with evacuees from Sudan are expected to arrive in Larnaka on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Theodoros Gotsis said, noting that the majority of passengers who arrived on the three flights on Tuesday evening and in the early Hours of Wednesday, have already departed from Cyprus. In his statements outside the Larnaca Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, Gotsis said that Cyprus acts as a transit station in the process of evacuating civilians from Sudan. He said flights had started arriving since Tuesday night, and that yesterday’s arrivals from Sudan included 10 Cypriots. ‘The process continues today, six flights are expected,’ he said, noting that it is important to mention that the majority of passengers who arrived on the three evening flights have already departed from Cyprus. This shows the process involved in activating the ESTIA National emergency plan, he noted. He said Cyprus acts as a transit station in the process of evacuating civilians, while, for any other contribution needed from the services of the Republic of Cyprus, everything was ready. He added that services from other Ministries involved, namely Defence and Health, were also standing ready, as well as organisations such as the Red Cross and others. All services were fully mobilised, he said, adding that this was important ‘because Cyprus is really contributing to a humanitarian crisis taking place in our neighbourhood’. Asked about the number of passengers expected to arrive on Wednesday, Gotsis noted that the three evening flights brought about 240 people, and the aim was to have a smooth flow to be able to provide proper help if and where needed. He noted that there are conditions on the ground, which is something that is taken into account as to the margins for the continuation of this operation.
Source: Cyprus News Agency