DHAKA: More than 400 Chinese nationals were evacuated from Libya on Saturday, state media said, after hundreds of their compatriots fled the country as the violence there escalated.

Libya is descending into a civil war spiral that is ‘much worse’ than the unrest that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, residents fleeing the country told media, reports The Straits Times.

Vehicles carrying 411 Chinese workers evacuated from Libya’s capital Tripoli crossed the border into Tunisia early Saturday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

A further 97 Chinese workers were expected to arrive at the border crossing later Saturday, it cited Chinese diplomats as saying.

BDST: 1836 HRS, AUG 02, 2014