Foreigners flee Libya

The United Nations is reporting that thousands of foreigners are now fleeing Libya as the violence in the country has reached crisis point.



A spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Melissa Fleming, says 70,000 to 75,000 people have fled to Tunisia since violence began in Libya on February 20.



She says a similar number have gone to Egypt, where most have been able to continue their journeys onward.



Fleming says about 2,000 people are crossing into Tunisia every hour but once in Tunisia many of them have nowhere to go.



Another 20,000 are said to be backed up on the Libyan side.



She says most are Egyptians, but there are also significant numbers of Chinese and Bangladeshis.