Eighty Chinese nationals were among the dozens of people to be evacuated from Libya by a Greek navy frigate during an operation underway on Thursday and due to end by Friday, Greek government sources told Xinhua News Agency.

The frigate Salamis was initially dispatched to carry all seven diplomats serving at Greece's embassy in Tripoli to safety, along with Greek expatriates.

The Greek government received requests from other countries, including China, to help their citizens leave the North African country, as clashes between militias were escalating.