Fourteen Hungarian and forty-eight foreign nationals who took part in a diving trip off the coast of the country, which was plunged into civil war, were evacuated from Sudan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Saturday.

According to the ministry's statement, the head of the department reported that when the conflict broke out, it was possible to contact the partially Hungarian-owned organizing company and the ship's crew, who, thanks to Hungarian diplomatic assistance and coordination, after purchasing the appropriate amount of fuel, headed for Egypt instead of the coast of Sudan. .

He emphasized that the evacuation of those affected was successfully completed, as the ship arrived in Gurdaka, Egypt within minutes, with fourteen Hungarians and forty-eight citizens of twelve other nations on board, most of them Americans and Italians.

Diplomats from the Hungarian Embassy in Cairo were waiting for those involved at the port.

The Hungarians will be transported to Cairo with consular assistance during the day, and it is expected that they will be able to return home to Budapest on Sunday.

"So this was a Hungarian-led, multinational evacuation operation, for which the local diplomats of several countries have already expressed their thanks to us," said the minister.

Péter Szijjártó highlighted:

"We know of eight Hungarian citizens who are still in Sudan, we are in constant contact with them given the circumstances, and we are preparing to evacuate them as soon as the security conditions are right."

"For the time being, the airports are unusable, so evacuation attempts cannot be started for the time being," he pointed out.

Also, he informed that the government is in contact with the countries that also have citizens in Sudan and are also planning evacuation operations, and if someone can start, then members of other nations can count on help.

Finally, the minister stated that they are following the developments closely and that they will do everything to secure the Hungarians at risk.

Source: hirado.hu

Featured image: MTI