A flight chartered by a private company in Malta in association with Medavia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rescued a number of Maltese who had been stranded on a desert oil rig in Libya.

The plane flew direct from Malta to an airstrip near the oil rig, picked up the workers, stopped at Tripoli to pick up more workers, and then flew on to Malta.

The workers had been concerned about dwindling supplies of food and water and fears that oil installations would be bombed. Flight clearance was granted after two days of negotiation, but the flight was delayed further yesterday because of a sandstorm.

Some 6,000 foreign workers are expected to arrive in Malta tonight.

A cruise ship chartered by a Brazilian company is expected to bring some 3,000 workers from Brazil, Thailand and Vietnam, while 2,000 Chinese, as well as 13 Maltese, will arrive on the ferry Roma, chartered by the Chinese government.

Some 300 hundred Britons are due to arrive on a British frigate and some 500 Americans and Canadians as well as 49 Britons and four Maltese will arrive on two catamarans.

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