Evacuee numbers may reach 70,000

LARNACA - More than 1,000 Canadians walked ashore to safety in Cyprus today, part of a mass evacuation from fighting in Lebanon that now exceeds 30,000 people.

About 15 ships were expected at Cypriot ports overnight in what may be the peak of the organised evacuation effort, as Britain and the United States said they were starting to wind down their rescue operations.

But weary evacuees arriving in Larnaca said there were still many more people in Lebanon trying to get out. Cyprus has said up to 40,000 more people could pass through the tiny holiday island, whose facilities have been sorely tested by the crisis.

"There are thousands of people still waiting over there [to escape]. It is very crowded," said Hussein Kalas, 16, a Canadian Lebanese from Ottawa.

His sister, Ghinwa, 19, described the horror of living in Beirut during the Israeli bombardment, now into its 13th day.

"They are killing children, they are raining bombs on our houses. They're the terrorists, not us. We have not slept in 12 days. Every night the planes went up and started bombing. It is not right, what they are doing," she said.

Israel launched its bombardment of Lebanon on July 12 after Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others. The fighting has killed 369 people in Lebanon, the vast majority civilians, and 37 Israelis.

Evacuees expressed their relief at escaping from Lebanon.

"We are happy to be going back to Canada. We really appreciate what the Canadian government has done for us (in chartering boats to get us out)," said Johnny Aboudhi of Montreal, who was accompanied by his wife and two children.

"Get out now"

The Pentagon said the number of Americans evacuated from Lebanon had risen to more than 10,000. A further 1800 were due to arrive in Limassol on Monday morning aboard USS Nashville.

"Our message to American citizens is if you want to get out, get out now," said one US official, who requested anonymity. "We're definitely, definitely on the downward slope now."

Turkey has stepped in to share Cyprus's burden and over 3000 mostly Canadian, Australian and US evacuees have arrived at its southern port of Mersin, greeted by Red Crescent workers.

"It's the biggest Australian evacuation since the Second World War," Australian ambassador to Turkey Jean Dunn told Reuters, saying her country expected to take 6000 or more of its 20,000 citizens out of Lebanon this week.

Visiting evacuees in Larnaca on Sunday, France's Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said: "Until today, we have responded to 5000 [evacuation] requests and we have another 9000 pending."

She said France would leave its operations in Cyprus in place to help pass humanitarian aid to Lebanon. UN officials have said they will establish an aid staging point in Cyprus.

With airports congested, many Americans were still stuck at a makeshift camp in a fairground in the Cypriot capital Nicosia awaiting charter flights home.

In contrast, an estimated 5000 British evacuees passing through the British air force base at Akrotiri in southern Cyprus were swiftly processed and flown home and Britain said it was wrapping up its maritime evacuation on Sunday.

Not everyone was fleeing Lebanon. Hulie Zide, 45, was one of dozens of Lebanese heading back to their country on Sunday aboard a French-chartered boat.

"I love my country. I have my job, I have my mum and dad, my family. I have to work and I have to support them," said Zide, who had been on holiday in Paris when the war started. "I am not afraid of dying under their bombs."

(Additional reporting by David Clarke in Beirut and Thomas Grove in Mersin)

- REUTERS