Initial measures for evacuation of Austrians in Egypt

The Austrian Foreign Ministry announced today (Mon) that initial measures for the evacuation of Austrians in Egypt would begin to be undertaken.Ministry spokesman Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal said that one or two planes would be sent to Cairo to evacuate Austrians “as soon as possible, possibly even today.” He noted that between 100 and 150 Austrians in the Egyptian capital had asked the ministry for help.He added that “the protection of Austrians and sending out warnings for people not to travel to Egypt were priorities.”The travel advisory is a strong signal to anyone planning to travel to Egypt and to anyone who is in that country,” he said, adding that it was also a warning about limited means of helping Austrians in Egypt if “something happens there.”He said the situation in Red Sea resorts Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada remained “quiet” but both were showing signs of the crisis in Egypt such as higher prices for auto fuel and groceries and dwindling amounts of cash in cash vending machines.The media have reported that Egyptian tanks reached Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday.