Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday he will head for Cyprus to help evacuate thousands of Canadian citizens in Lebanon.

"Because of the seriousness of the situation and our relative proximity to Cyprus, I've decided to take the Canadian Forces aircraft we've been traveling on to help airlift evacuees back home," the Canadian Prime Minister told reporters in Paris.

Some 16,000 Canadians are registered in the Canadian embassy in Lebanon, but the Canadian authority said there can be 40,000 to 50, 000 in the country.

At least 8,000 Canadians are believed to want to leave Lebanon.

The Canadian government has chartered seven ships in order to evacuate the Canadian nationals in Lebanon.

Source: Xinhua