About 1,100 Chinese nationals are leaving warring Libya on roads, by air and are planning to leave by sea due to a deteriorating security situation there, diplomatic sources said yesterday.

About 1,000 Chinese have already left Libya since May, when the security situation sharply slid backward. But about 1,100 remain in the restive North African country, according to Political Counselor for the Chinese Embassy in Libya Yan Jianqun.

Many Chinese staff, businessmen and contract workers have taken a road trip into neighboring Tunisia, while others hitched a plane using the remaining operational air hubs like Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport and Misrata Airport. Some Chinese firms also planned to rent a liner from Athens to pick up their employees, Yan said.

Libya has witnessed a drastic escalation of violence since the 2011 turmoil that toppled its leader Mommar Gaddafi. Analysts fear the recent battle between armed Islamist groups and pro-secular forces in major cities could easily turn into a full-fledged civil war.

On Monday, China called on its nationals in Libya to leave the country “as soon as possible” and told Chinese firms to evacuate their staff before Friday, citing the deteriorating security situation.

The Chinese embassy said it will provide all necessary assistance.

Meanwhile, France said it has evacuated about 50 French and British citizens from Libya by ship amid growing lawlessness and unrest. A French diplomatic source said 40 French nationals, including the ambassador, were evacuated with seven Britons.

Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said the French and British nationals had been evacuated by ship but did not say how many.

The naval ship carrying them is bound for the southern French port of Toulon and the French embassy in Tripoli has been temporarily closed, the foreign ministry said.

Two weeks of fighting around Tripoli airport and between rival militias have killed scores of people and prompted several countries to urge their citizens to leave Libya.

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