Updated | ‘Over a thousand daily calls’ made and received from Foreign Office crisis centre

Permanent crisis centre set up at Foreign Ministry • Video by Ray Attard

Over a thousand calls are made and received on a daily basis at the permanent crisis centre set up at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, a spokeswoman for the ministry said.

Members of the news media were invited by the Foreign Ministry to visit the crisis centre which is coordinating flights and keeping in touch with Maltese nationals in Libya and other crisis-hit countries such as Libya.

“Only a few days ago a family from Gaza was evacuated to Malta,” Maria Muscat, foreign communications coordinator told journalists.

The crisis centre is being manned by eight to 10 personnel on a daily basis, contacting the Maltese nationals in Libya and informing them of commercial flights leaving Libya to Malta.

Some 100 Maltese remain in Libya, Muscat said. “Individuals with dual nationalities, say Libyan and Maltese, are considered as Maltese and contacts with them are carried out as well,” she added.

The crisis centre operates on a 24-hour service and the freephone line is monitored day and night.

ICT officer Ferdinand Zammit explained that through a geographical system, the ministry was keeping track of the Maltese in the different parts of Libya.

Opposition leader in meeting at Castille

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil released no comments on his morning meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister. Although the nature of the meeting is unknown to MaltaToday, it is understood that Busutill was at Auberge de Castille for a security meeting in relation to the ongoing crisis in Libya.

Contacted by MaltaToday, a PN spokesman said Busuttil had no comments to make.