EGYPT: Curfew thwarting travel, but 200 Americans evacuated
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The United States and other foreign governments stepped up evacuation of their citizens caught up in Egypt’s spreading unrest on Monday, although a midafternoon curfew was frustrating travel within the country.
Egyptian railway authorities said trains had been halted to conform to the 3 p.m.-to-8 a.m. curfew announced Sunday by the government in an attempt to dispel protesters demanding an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s 30 years in power.
Two flights organized by the U.S. State Department took more than 200 Americans to Cyprus and Greece on Monday, and others were planned to evacuate diplomats, students, business travelers and tourists stranded by the chaos enveloping Egypt for the last week.
Israel also sent two planes to carry its nationals home to safety, and Canada and Thailand announced special government-arranged flights to collect their citizens.
Normal air traffic to and from Egypt’s major cities has been sharply curtailed by those carriers still flying to the besieged country, and many airlines, including U.S. carrier Delta Airlines, have indefinitely suspended service because of the unrest.
Travelers struggle to exit Egypt; State Department updates advice
Egypt’s police return; foreigners try to evacuate
-- Carol J. Williams
