Yemen crisis: China evacuates foreigners from Aden

China says it sent a frigate expressly to evacuate foreigners from Aden

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China's navy has evacuated 225 foreign nationals and almost 600 Chinese citizens from Yemen's southern port of Aden, amid fierce fighting there.

China says it is the first time its military has rescued foreign nationals from a danger zone.
Houthi rebels in the city have been fighting troops loyal to ousted Yemeni President, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
On Friday, the rebels withdrew from the presidential palace, following further Saudi-led air strikes.
Saudi-backed fighters loyal to Mr Hadi say they have received an airdrop of arms supplies from coalition planes.
Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in the past few days of fighting in Aden.
The evacuees were taken by naval frigates across the Red Sea to Djibouti, to take flights home.
As well as China's mission, a Turkish naval frigate has evacuated 55 Turks from Aden, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says.

'Legitimate government'

China says it is the first time its navy has evacuated foreigners from a war zone

Houthi fighters have set up checkpoints in Aden as they battle for control

Heavy fighting in Aden has caused dozens of casualties

Meanwhile, a military base in the south-eastern port city of Mukalla was taken over by al-Qaeda militants on Friday. It happened a day after fighters broke into the town's jail freeing prisoners.
A military official said al-Qaeda "took the headquarters of the 2nd Military Region in the afternoon without resistance".
The Saudi government says the aim of its operation in Yemen is to protect President Hadi's "legitimate government". It says it has no plans to deploy ground forces for now.
Aden was President Hadi's last seat of power before he fled to Saudi Arabia last week, as the Shia Houthi rebels advanced on the city.

Chinese naval frigates were carrying out anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia, but were diverted to Yemen to evacuate people trapped by the fighting.
The non-Chinese evacuees included 176 people from Pakistan, said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. There were smaller numbers from other countries, including Ethiopia, Singapore, the UK, Italy and Germany.
Ms Hua said it was the first time China had helped evacuate foreign citizens - and only the second time that China has used warships to evacuate its own citizens from a conflict zone, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.

Media caption Shaimaa Khalil spoke to a family arriving back in Pakistan from Yemen

In a much larger operation, China rescued more than 30,000 Chinese citizens from Libya in 2011.
Beijing says it is not abandoning Yemen and that its embassy in the capital Sanaa will remain open.
This week the rebels pushed through to the heart of the port city using tanks and armoured vehicles, despite Saudi-led air strikes.
The Houthis have said their aim is to replace President Hadi's government, which they accuse of being corrupt. They captured the president's palace in Sanaa in January and established a transitional presidential council.
Gulf Arab states have accused Iran of backing the Houthis financially and militarily, though Iran has denied this.
Fighting in Yemen over the past two weeks has left more than 500 people have dead and some 1,700 wounded, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said.