An Air China A330-200 passenger jet is seen at Beijing Capital International Airport, Feb 25, 2011. This aircraft is the first chartered plane sent by the Chinese government to evacuate its nationals in Libya. It arrived in Beijing in the wee hours of Friday with more than 200 Chinese on board. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Some 12,000 Chinese nationals have so far been evacuated from riot-torn Libya, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao said early Friday morning.

Song told reporters about the latest figure at the Beijing Capital International Airport shortly after welcoming back home more than 224 Chinese flying home by taking the first chartered plane sent by the Chinese government to evacuate its nationals in Libya, which arrived at the airport at 2:15 am Friday (GMT 1815 Thursday).

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The first batch of the evacuated Chinese on board the chartered plane are mainly engineers and technicians working in Libya and their family members.

Air China CA060 flight, which flew Wednesday to this north African country thrown into chaos by anti-government uprisings and protests, left Libya's capital Tripoli Thursday afternoon.

The second chartered plane has arrived in Cairo as part of the Chinese government's effort to evacuate thousands of its nationals, mostly employees of Chinese companies with businesses in Libya.

The second plane is expected to arrive at Beijing airport at 9:00 am Beijing time (GMT 0100).

Chinese nationals had, over the past few days, been evacuated to neighboring countries including Greece, Egypt and Tunisia by ocean liners, airplanes or coaches, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, according to the information office of the Chinese Defense Ministry, a Chinese navy frigate of the "Xuzhou" fleet, which had been in its escorting mission in the Aden Gulf, has left for the waters surrounding Libya to provide support and protection for the ships evacuating the Chinese nationals in Libya.