China evacuates more than 1,000 citizens from war-torn Ukraine
- Three groups have reportedly left the country by coach since Monday, starting with hundreds of students
- It comes as a Chinese person was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds on Tuesday, according to state television
More than 700 Chinese nationals left Odesa in southern Ukraine by coach on Tuesday, China’s consulate in the city told state tabloid Global Times.
Travelling in 14 coaches and escorted by military police, it took them 1½ hours to reach the Moldovan border, the consulate said. They will continue on to Romania before travelling to China on a charter flight.
The first group to be evacuated – 200 Chinese students – left the capital Kyiv on Monday afternoon, Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Tuesday, citing Ding Jianwei, a press officer at China’s embassy in Kyiv.
They were also taken to Moldova, along with another group of 400 students who were also reportedly evacuated from Odesa on Monday.
It comes as state broadcaster CCTV reported that a Chinese person had been taken to hospital with gunshot wounds on Tuesday. They were said to be travelling from the east of the country to Lviv, in the west, but no further details were given.