Tweet
3 June 2011
Last updated at 15:21 ET
Britons should leave Yemen immediately as it is "unlikely" the UK will be able to evacuate stranded nationals, the foreign secretary has said.
William Hague said UK nationals should leave while commercial flights were still operating and urged them not to plan for government assistance.
He reiterated the advice, first made on 12 March, after "today's extremely serious escalation of violence".
President Ali Abdullah Saleh was reportedly hurt in an attack in Sanaa.
More than 350 people have died in an uprising by armed tribes against Yemen's government began in January.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
In its travel advice the Foreign Office said its current ability to provide consular assistance was "very limited".
Airports inaccessible Routes in and out of the capital Sanaa and the other major cities may be blocked and airports closed or inaccessible at little or no notice, it warned.
The foreign secretary said this could hamper a government evacuation.
In a statement, he said: "Given that we cannot expect forewarning of any airport closures, British Nationals should not wait to leave.
"We have already said that in such a difficult security situation it is extremely unlikely the British government will be able to evacuate British nationals.
"In light of the latest escalations, I cannot restate this strongly enough... we will not be in a position to evacuate those who do not leave on commercial airlines while these are still flying.
"I ask those in the UK with friends and relatives in Yemen to pass this message on and tell them to leave now.
"You should not plan for nor expect the British government to be in a position to assist you to reach safety."
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement | WordPress Tutorials
William Hague said UK nationals should leave while commercial flights were still operating and urged them not to plan for government assistance.
He reiterated the advice, first made on 12 March, after "today's extremely serious escalation of violence".
President Ali Abdullah Saleh was reportedly hurt in an attack in Sanaa.
More than 350 people have died in an uprising by armed tribes against Yemen's government began in January.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
You should not plan for nor expect the British government to be in a position to assist you to reach safety”
End Quote
William Hague
Foreign secretary
In its travel advice the Foreign Office said its current ability to provide consular assistance was "very limited".
Airports inaccessible Routes in and out of the capital Sanaa and the other major cities may be blocked and airports closed or inaccessible at little or no notice, it warned.
The foreign secretary said this could hamper a government evacuation.
In a statement, he said: "Given that we cannot expect forewarning of any airport closures, British Nationals should not wait to leave.
"We have already said that in such a difficult security situation it is extremely unlikely the British government will be able to evacuate British nationals.
"In light of the latest escalations, I cannot restate this strongly enough... we will not be in a position to evacuate those who do not leave on commercial airlines while these are still flying.
"I ask those in the UK with friends and relatives in Yemen to pass this message on and tell them to leave now.
"You should not plan for nor expect the British government to be in a position to assist you to reach safety."
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement | WordPress Tutorials