[StivRichardOff]

Well, since things are getting pretty dire now, I guess I could use some help dealing with the situation.

He works for an oil survey crew in a very remote area of the Libyan desert, about a days drive from Tripoli, he is the crew manager of a team of mixed nationals, 22 in all.

Today they decided to leave camp due to nearby looters raiding other oil surveying camps, fearing for their safety they managed to get in contact with some people from Zela and were told a plane would be flying in to take them to Croatia, and specifically, that my dad's name was on the manifest. So they fled from the camp this morning, around 7:30am and arrived in Zela at around 6pm, to be met with pro-Gadaffi militia and reports that a plane would NOT be arriving to take them to Croatia, and that Gadaffi has plans to come to Zela tomorrow, at which point they were told they can stay overnight, but must leave at sunrise due to safety reasons and lack of supplies. He is now basically sleeping in a cardboard box with 20 other Libyans, no food, no water, no blankets, planning to drive back to camp first thing in the morning.

There have been a number of reports on the news about convoys being hijacked in the desert and more camps being overrun with Libyan locals stealing trucks, passports and holding people up at gunpoint for their supplies, so god knows if hes next, they have no means of communications during travel, the camp they are headed back to may have already been looted, and there is no way for them to get to the Tunisian border, Tripoli or any other major city for any kind of assisted evacuation.

He is going to try and relay as much information back to us about GPS co-ordinates etc when he can make it to a sat-phone/computer, but until then we can't give any information to the Embassy, his passport is also in Tripoli. So basically, i'm kind of relying on this whole idea of the special forces being put on "standby" for some deep infiltration missions to extract oil workers from these extreme remote camps... if it even goes ahead.

So what do you guys think of the situation unfolding here? Any advice I might not of thought of? I feel like **** right now, my mum is on the edge and I can't even imagine what my dad is going through right now... [help]

[mXr8icOB]

thats some pretty serious stuff and i guess you probably dont know much more than the rest of us do from the media which must make it pretty frustrating.

best you can do is hang in there and remember that your father will be doing everything he can to keep himself and everyone he is responsible for safe and sound and that no doubt all the reporting is focussed on as much doom as is possible.

hope everything works out ok for you and your family

[Gubocang]

It's pretty severe there right now. BP chartered a flight earlier today. No idea what's happening tomorrow as haven't been watching the news 24/7 but these chartered planes haven't always been up to task. If he can get out, manifest or not, he should take any possible chance. Screw the Passport, not worth the risk going back for it and I'm sure he knows that.

Hope your dad gets out safe [yes]

Really there isn't anything you can do to help. Not even BBC's reporters are there so you know the ****'s hit the fan

The sooner Gadaffi goes the better because this is getting ugly as hell [surrender]

[Inconykic]

Crazy! Hope your dad comes out ok. I have a bother-in-law that does a similar thing to your dad and was drilling out in Algeria. They have been held up at gun point when commuting to the drill site because the Army was on holiday and was not able to protect them like they usually do.

Anyhow the point of my little story is that I guess I understand a little how dangerous the type of work your dad does. The more risk of safety and degraded living conditions it seems you get a lot of pay working on these sites and I guess it's very tempting to take it. My sister drew the line at a job offer to go to Iraq or something for an extra $200k. She pretty much said you do that and she'd leave him.

Anyhow, hopefully you hear from your dad again soon. I'm not sure if you're able to perhaps get more information from the British embassy or something and if they can do anything to assist?

http://ukinlibya.fco.gov.uk/en/

[Duseshoug]

At first I thought you were posting one of the scam e-mails you've got.

Sorry to hear man. I hope all the best for your dad and strenght to you and your mom.

Hopefully Gaddafi is soon killed by someone close or he does suicide so no one else has to suffer anymore. (Gaddafi has said that he will not step down and will die as martyr. So hope for any peaceful solutions are out of the window.)

[feqlmwtuqx]

Sorry to read that, mate, hopefully his company and the British Envoy are working on a safe exit for him and his team.

[StivRichardOff]

Thanks for the comments guys, appreciate it.

Haven't heard anything more yet, but I expect he is currently travelling back to camp and awaiting the SAS, but as hes the only Briton in his crew, it could well be bottom of the priority list, so we'll just have to wait and see.

When he can get some comms next, he is hopefully going to relay information about his location and then we can get onto the British Embassy and let them know of his whereabouts.

Here's hoping they deploy some help soon.

[Duseshoug]

Thanks for the comments guys, appreciate it.

Haven't heard anything more yet, but I expect he is currently travelling back to camp and awaiting the SAS, but as hes the only Briton in his crew, it could well be bottom of the priority list, so we'll just have to wait and see.

When he can get some comms next, he is hopefully going to relay information about his location and then we can get onto the British Embassy and let them know of his whereabouts.

Here's hoping they deploy some help soon.

I've read that HMS Cumberland had docked to Benghaz yesterday. So maybe there's hope!

[StivRichardOff]

Unfortunately hes not in the city, and its not safe for him to travel to any of the cities or borders now, so he just has to stay in camp, hope no more looters turn up and await rescue, hes about a days drive from civilisation.

[provigil]

I'd have lost the plot big time in your situation, so you're doing well.

Anyway, he's British, we're survivors. And being an island race it's in our blood to defend ourselves. All the best to you and your family.

[pongeystrhjst]

Two RAF Hercules have taken 150, mainly Britons from the desert, so hopefully that includes your dad.

[Gubocang]

Wrong thread :S

[gkruCRi1]

Man, I wish we (the human race) weren't so primal and materialistic

I wish you and your family the best dude!

[StivRichardOff]

Hi guys, another update after a few nightmarish days in front of the news and on the phone.

My dad was tipped off, of a flight leaving from Zella for 80 odd croatian workers working for Geofizika yesterday and managed to get his name on the list, travelled for 6 hours across the desert to get there, and we think he managed to get on that and got to Tripoli and was kicked off as he didn't have a passport to leave the country. There was some confusion as to whether he got on the flight and got to Tripoli that way, or if he drove there, and we still don't know.

Because of this, he managed to get on the last FCO charter from Tripoli yesterday and landed in Gatwick at 10PM last night, hopped on a train to kings cross and holed up in a premier inn for the night, he is now on the train back and should be here in the next hour or so, so we're going to pick him up. That was his last opportunity, other than these SAS rescue missions being planned, but they aren't very deep into Libya, so it's unlikely they were ever going to reach him with them anyway.

Amazing news and such relief for me and my family, can't wait to see him, thanks for all the comments guys, it's definately helped!

Now it's time for him to go job hunting, as he won't be going back there again!

[mXr8icOB]

good to hear... get the beer in the fridge!

[feqlmwtuqx]

Nice to get some happy endings from that part of the world! [thumbup]

[Duseshoug]

Good stuff!

[ExelePlavisseu]

I'll post if I hear anything. There is a huge deal of news flowing through Malta.

Might want to keep an eye on timesofmalta.com

[smokeberly]

Glad to hear every thing has worked out well.

[erepsysoulpfbs]

Amazing news and such relief for me and my family

Hurrah! I just got to this thread, and that's some pretty crazy stuff. I'm very happy everything worked out!