A total of 675 Bangladesh nationals looking to leave crisis-hit Sudan have reached Port Sudan from Khartoum so far.

‘Those who are without passports have already been provided with travel permits,’ state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

‘We’ll evacuate women, children and people with illness  to Jeddah in the first phase based on the number of seats available on the ship,’ he said.

The state minister said that ships are constantly leaving the port with people and others will be able to board the ship in next phases.

A total of 650 Bangladeshi nationals left for Port Sudan by buses from Khartoum 2 days ago. They are set to take a 12-hour voyage from Port Sudan to Jeddah port to cross the Red Sea.

The state minister urged Bangladeshi nationals to be cooperative with the officials as they’re risking their lives to complete secure evacuation.

He warned of legal consequences for those who would refuse to follow instructions of the officials.

‘We’ll not risk everyone’s lives and safety for a few people,’ he said in his Facebook post.

Arrangements have been made with international partners to take onboard Bangladeshis who have their passports immediately.

The individuals who do not have passports will be given travel documents and they will get the next available ships as there will be several Saudi ships.