OMEN
07-21-2006, 07:55 AM
LARNACA: Thousands more weary, shell-shocked evacuees poured off boats into Cyprus after fleeing heavy Israeli bombardment of Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
Among the boats ferrying people to safety across the narrow stretch of water in the east Mediterranean were USS Nashville, two British warships and vessels from Greece, Italy and India.
A Cypriot ship chartered by the United Nations was scheduled to deposit around 600 UN staff and their families.
"It's crazy. They (the Israelis) are bombing the hell out of the place," Mahmoud Bazzi, 22, told Reuters as he came ashore at the port of Larnaca with around 500 others off an Italian ship.
Bazzi, a Lebanese Ukrainian, said he and his family had moved from house to house in southern Lebanon over the past week dodging the bombs.
"Hizbollah are not letting people leave. They are bombing the Israelis from residential areas and the Israelis attack them there. My friend died and we could not even bury him. We had no water, no electricity, no news. Nothing works," he said.
Australian Houda Chaaban said she was relieved to have reached safety aboard a Greek warship but said she still hoped to return to Lebanon if the situation calmed down again. "We are all very tired, very upset," she said as Cypriot officials bundled her and other passengers into a reception centre to be registered, fed and offered medical treatment.
Some of the evacuees were angry with Israel, which began bombing Lebanon 10 days ago in response to Hizbollah attacks.
"(Israel's bombing) is way too much, it's not right. They're blowing up a beautiful country and hurting wonderful people," said Billy Broeckelmann, 44, from Sugarland, Texas, one of around 1000 Americans evacuated by US Marines on Thursday.
He and other evacuees aboard USS Nashville were soothed by classical music from the ship's loudspeakers.
TIME TO LEAVE
Arriving at the Cypriot port of Limassol early on Friday aboard the British ship HMS York, Australian bank worker Andrew Sassine, 23, said he had originally hoped to sit out the crisis.
"Everybody was saying it will pass, it will pass. But afer a week things just started to escalate. and the bombing just got closer and closer to where we were staying. We then said let's pack our bags, it's time to go," he said.
Most of the 286 passengers on HMS York were British, many of them of Lebanese origin who had been visiting relatives.
"Over the next few days, I believe we will be able to get out all the Britons who want to get home," Foreign Office Minister David Triesman told British Forces Radio in Limassol.
Cypriot officials say they expect an average of 4000 evacuees to arrive each day, putting great strain on the tiny island's resources at the peak of the summer tourist season.
Cyprus has asked its European Union partners to send more aircraft to transfer evacuees to their home countries. US officials say they expect to have evacuated 6000 of their nationals by Friday.
"What we are trying to do is get people on two charter flights tonight and that's going reasonably smoothly," US Ambassador to Cyprus Ronald Schlicher told reporters on Thursday at a reception facility set up at a fairground near the capital Nicosia, now hosting about 700.
Washington said nine military ships were involved in its massive evacuation operation, which brought the Marines back in Lebanon nearly 23 years after a Shi'ite Muslim suicide bomber blew up their barracks in Beirut, killing more than 200.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper flew out of Cyprus on Thursday with 63 evacuees aboard his plane after he diverted it to the island after an official visit to Europe. He spent much of the day waiting for them at Larnaca airport.
Many evacuees, some holding back tears, said they were concerned about the families they were forced to leave behind.
"I know I am safe now," said Australian student Sherean Irani, 19, who had been visiting relatives in Lebanon and had hoped to study there. "But my heart is with Lebanon."
Reuters
Among the boats ferrying people to safety across the narrow stretch of water in the east Mediterranean were USS Nashville, two British warships and vessels from Greece, Italy and India.
A Cypriot ship chartered by the United Nations was scheduled to deposit around 600 UN staff and their families.
"It's crazy. They (the Israelis) are bombing the hell out of the place," Mahmoud Bazzi, 22, told Reuters as he came ashore at the port of Larnaca with around 500 others off an Italian ship.
Bazzi, a Lebanese Ukrainian, said he and his family had moved from house to house in southern Lebanon over the past week dodging the bombs.
"Hizbollah are not letting people leave. They are bombing the Israelis from residential areas and the Israelis attack them there. My friend died and we could not even bury him. We had no water, no electricity, no news. Nothing works," he said.
Australian Houda Chaaban said she was relieved to have reached safety aboard a Greek warship but said she still hoped to return to Lebanon if the situation calmed down again. "We are all very tired, very upset," she said as Cypriot officials bundled her and other passengers into a reception centre to be registered, fed and offered medical treatment.
Some of the evacuees were angry with Israel, which began bombing Lebanon 10 days ago in response to Hizbollah attacks.
"(Israel's bombing) is way too much, it's not right. They're blowing up a beautiful country and hurting wonderful people," said Billy Broeckelmann, 44, from Sugarland, Texas, one of around 1000 Americans evacuated by US Marines on Thursday.
He and other evacuees aboard USS Nashville were soothed by classical music from the ship's loudspeakers.
TIME TO LEAVE
Arriving at the Cypriot port of Limassol early on Friday aboard the British ship HMS York, Australian bank worker Andrew Sassine, 23, said he had originally hoped to sit out the crisis.
"Everybody was saying it will pass, it will pass. But afer a week things just started to escalate. and the bombing just got closer and closer to where we were staying. We then said let's pack our bags, it's time to go," he said.
Most of the 286 passengers on HMS York were British, many of them of Lebanese origin who had been visiting relatives.
"Over the next few days, I believe we will be able to get out all the Britons who want to get home," Foreign Office Minister David Triesman told British Forces Radio in Limassol.
Cypriot officials say they expect an average of 4000 evacuees to arrive each day, putting great strain on the tiny island's resources at the peak of the summer tourist season.
Cyprus has asked its European Union partners to send more aircraft to transfer evacuees to their home countries. US officials say they expect to have evacuated 6000 of their nationals by Friday.
"What we are trying to do is get people on two charter flights tonight and that's going reasonably smoothly," US Ambassador to Cyprus Ronald Schlicher told reporters on Thursday at a reception facility set up at a fairground near the capital Nicosia, now hosting about 700.
Washington said nine military ships were involved in its massive evacuation operation, which brought the Marines back in Lebanon nearly 23 years after a Shi'ite Muslim suicide bomber blew up their barracks in Beirut, killing more than 200.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper flew out of Cyprus on Thursday with 63 evacuees aboard his plane after he diverted it to the island after an official visit to Europe. He spent much of the day waiting for them at Larnaca airport.
Many evacuees, some holding back tears, said they were concerned about the families they were forced to leave behind.
"I know I am safe now," said Australian student Sherean Irani, 19, who had been visiting relatives in Lebanon and had hoped to study there. "But my heart is with Lebanon."
Reuters