BERLIN: Germany said Monday it would send civilian planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman as part of efforts to evacuate thousands of tourists stranded by the Middle East war.
Some 30,000 Germans are stuck in the region, according to the German Travel Association, since the United States and Israel first attacked Iran on Saturday, sparking a wave of Iranian strikes across the region and beyond.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany would soon send planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman, where the airspace remained open, to start evacuating some of the most vulnerable tourists.
“We will send aircraft to Riyadh and Muscat as quickly as possible for particularly vulnerable groups,” he said, adding that he was in talks with national carrier Lufthansa to arrange the flights.
“The safety of our citizens is our top priority,” said Wadephul.
Crisis teams had been sent to Muscat, Doha and Dubai to explore the possibility of evacuating Germans from these locations, including overland, he added.
A team from the German embassy in Cairo was assisting with border crossings from Israel, he said.
Around 5,000 passengers are stuck on two TUI cruise ships in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to German media, with reports of crying children and a general mood of fear.
“We were not allowed to leave the ship,” one female tourist, a police officer, told the NTV broadcaster.
“We are well looked after, but I don’t feel safe.”
TUI Cruises said in a statement that “due to the continuing dynamic situation in the region and limited flight connections, we are in close contact with the airlines to enable reliable planning of return journeys.”
Germany scrambles to rescue thousands of stranded tourists
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Germany scrambles to rescue thousands of stranded tourists
- Crisis teams had been sent to Muscat, Doha and Dubai to explore the possibility of evacuating Germans from these locations, including overland
Britain restricts some visas from four nations in major overhaul
- Britain had previously said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up deportations of those who arrive illegally, in an overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system
LONDON: Britain said on Tuesday the government would end study visas from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, and work visas for Afghans, in a major crackdown as anti-immigration sentiment rises in the country.
“An ‘emergency brake’ on visas has been imposed for the first time on nationals from four countries following a surge in asylum claims from legal routes,” the Home Office said in a statement.
Britain had previously said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up deportations of those who arrive illegally, in an overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said that “Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused.”
“That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity,” she added.
The Home Office said Mahmood will introduce new legislation this week to restore order and control to the country’s borders.
