A Russian Emergencies Ministry plane from Syria with 162 evacuees from Lebanon arrived here late Wednesday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

The plane brought 130 Russians and 32 citizens from Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova which are all countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Of the 162 passengers, 77 are children and seven pregnant women.

The second Emergencies Ministry plane, an Il-76, is expected to arrive from Syria at about 4 a.m. Thursday (0000 GMT). Its departure were delayed to allow 20 buses with Russian and CIS evacuees to arrive in Latakia form Lebanon.

A third plane is on its way to Syria.

Aeroflot has provided an Il-86 plans for 346 people. The Moscow government airline has sent two Il-86 planes to Syria.

"Two Il-86 planes left for Latakia late today, each of which can take up to 350 people," airline representative Dmitry Petrochenko said on Wednesday.

More than 1,200 Russian and CIS citizens are still to be evacuated from Latakia.

The first group of Russian and CIS evacuees from Palestine arrived in Moscow from Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday.

Thousands of foreign nationals are fleeing Lebanon as Israel and Hezbollah continued their fighting following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah militants.

Source: Xinhua