"At about 1300 hrs today, some 30 Crosco workers were flown from Jalo to Tripoli," the minister said, adding that they could be expected in Croatia today. He said that the evacuation of other Croatians from inland Libya had begun.

In the meantime, the foreign ministry sent an experienced Croatian diplomat to the Croatian embassy in Tripoli to help with the operation of evacuating Croatians from that north African country, and Croatia will have three diplomatic representatives there.

The minister said that another 50 Croatian citizens working for foreign firms were still in Libya and that Croatian diplomatic representatives were trying to help them leave that country.

"We have heard that two of them arrived in Egypt by land and that they were without their passports," Jandrokovic said.

Croatian diplomats in Egypt found them and transferred them to a safe place, said the ministry's spokesman, Mario Dragun.

The Libyan Embassy in Zagreb is closely cooperating with the Croatian foreign ministry and helped in efforts to obtain a licence for a flight from Jalo.

The Croatian Trade Air company has five licences for departures and arrivals in Tripoli, Dragun said, adding that the Croatian companies are evacuating all their workers, including those who are not Croatian nationals.

Dragun said that other countries were also helping in evacuation operations and that the ministry had informed those staying in the port of Sirt that a Montenegrin ship, which could be expected on Saturday, had an order to take Croatians aboard.

An Italian naval ship with Croatia's Montmontaza workers aboard sailed from Benghazi on Friday and is en route to Malta.

On Thursday, 146 Croatians were evacuated from Libya.