UN to evacuate staff from Egypt

About 350 United Nations staff based in Egypt will be evacuated to Cyprus or the United Arab Emirates, a spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission on the Mediterranean island said today.

Rolando Gomez said UN staff will have the option to fly either to Cyprus or Dubai.

Two UN-chartered aircraft will each conduct two round-trip flights from Cyprus’s Larnaca airport to Cairo today to ferry staff and their family who opt for the island.

Mr Gomez says arrangements have been made to accommodate up to 600 staff and their dependants at Cyprus hotels.

The first flight to Larnaca – 360 miles from Cairo – is due to arrive at 11am Irish Time.

Gomez says some UN staff will remain in Egypt to continue carrying out “essential functions”.