A new group of over 1, 200 Chinese evacuees from Libya flew home from the Greek southern island Crete Sunday, as a Greek ferry left the port of Heraklion to Tripoli, Libya, to collect more Chinese nationals from the riot- torn country.

A total of four chartered flights of Air China took off Sunday afternoon with approximately 1,200 Chinese nationals anxious to reunite with their families.

Flights to China from Crete were launched on Saturday and, according to officials of the Chinese embassy in Greece and local authorities, are expected to continue on a daily basis for the following ten days, until all Chinese fleeing Libya aboard Greek ships to Heraklion have returned home.

As Air China planes took off, Greek ferry "Olympic Champion" left the Greek port again in the evening, sailing to Tripoli to pick up more Chinese and citizens of other nationalities in the context of a major rescue operation.