Passenger airliner to evacuate Russian citizens from Baghdad

An Ilyushin Il-62 passenger airliner serving with Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry took from Ramenskoye airfield near Moscow at 7.25 a.m., shaping course for Baghdad. This plane is to evacuate Russian specialists working for the Interenergoservis company from the Iraqi capital.

Talking to RIA Novosti, people at the Emergency Situations Ministry's information department noted that the Ministry will send another aircraft to Baghdad soon enough. All in all, it's intended to evacuate nearly 150 people from Iraq May 28.

An Il-76 cargo jet picked up the first group of Interenergoservis specialists, i.e. 85 Russians, four Ukrainians and one Belarussian citizen, May 27, subsequently flying them out of Baghdad. One child was also evacuated from Iraq. Those Russians, who were injured in a recent attack, returned to Moscow, as well. Two of them climbed into ambulances unaided; and three others were carried inside on stretchers.

The bodies of two dead Russians were flown back aboard the same plane.

About 240 of Interenergoservis specialists were staying in Iraq until May 27.

Several corporate specialists will stay in Iraq, aiding two of their severely wounded colleagues, people at the Emergency Situations Ministry noted.

A group of Emergency Situations Ministry officials also remained in Iraq, tackling urgent issues as regards the evacuation of other Interenergoservis workers.

Top Interenergoservis managers decided to evacuate their workers after the May 26 armed attack on a corporate bus in Baghdad. Two Russians were killed and another eight wounded as a result of that outrage.