Updated: The Canadian Air Force has deployed a giant C-17 Globemaster aircraft to Malta to help in the evacuation of its citizens from Libya.

The plane - relatively rare in Malta - arrived last night, flew to Tripoli and returned in the afternoon.

The C-17 was designed for rapid strategic airlift, even from unmade runways.

Meanwhile, Britain has sent another Chinook heavy lift helicopter to Malta, joining another two Chinooks which arrived yesterday.

The Chinooks are seen as ideal to rescue workers from desert oil rigs where there are no runways.

Chinooks have, in the past, also been used to insert special forces in crisis situations.

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