An American family, part of about 150 U.S. nationals, arrive from Cairo, Egypt at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, early Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011. They arrived with a Turkish Airlines' special flight with Turkish nationals in Istanbul as thousands of foreigners were being evacuated from the unrest in Egypt, with countries around the world scrambling to send planes to fly their citizens out. Cairo's short-staffed international airport was a scene of chaos and confusion Monday as thousands of foreigners sought to flee the unrest in Egypt.(AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta) (January 31, 2011) |
SOUTH BEND -- Twelve University of Notre Dame students studying in Cairo, Egypt, have been evacuated, Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown said in a press release.
The students are among the many Americans who arrived safely in Istanbul Monday night after leaving Egypt on charter flights arranged by the U.S. State Department. The evacuation was in response to the increasing instability in Egypt caused by anti-government protests in Cairo and other cities.
The students were participating in a study abroad program at the American University of Cairo. They had just started their semester of studies.
Notre Dame is working with State Department officials to have the students flown from Turkey to their hometowns, Notre Dame or London. They will be enrolled in courses either in South Bend, on the university’s home campus, or in its London program, depending on individual preferences and course and housing availability.
In the release, J. Nicholas Entrikin, Notre Dame’s vice president for internationalization, spoke about the four-day period, calling it “incredible.”
“Staff members of the Office of International Studies have worked around the clock to move our students from Cairo to a safe location outside of Egypt," he said. He credited the State Department and the American University of Cairo with helping to make the move possible.
Entrikin said that Notre Dame officials “understand that the students are in excellent health and spirits, and we are delighted with the news of their safe arrival in Istanbul.”
