APPROXIMATELY 400 Irish citizens in Egypt have been given assistance by the Irish Embassy in Cairo, as unrest continues to rage in the country after nine days.

As of today, 300 Irish citizens will have arrived home, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Currently, the department is “actively assisting” 25 citizens who are seeking to leave the country.

Some Irish citizens who are long-term residents in Egypt have turned down offers of assistance, however, with 60 people indicating they did not wish to leave the country and a further 15 saying they wanted no help from the embassy.

Since Sunday, the Department’s Crisis Centre has handled almost 1,000 calls with Irish citizens in Egypt and their families in Ireland.

All travel to Egypt has been advised against; Irish citizens in Egypt are advised to exercise extreme caution and to avoid all demonstrations. There are warnings of the possibility of further clashes in the coming days, particularly tomorrow after noon prayers.

All Irish citizens in Egypt, who have not recently done so, should register immediately with the Embassy or with the Department in Dublin.

The Crisis Centre can be reached on 01-4082999 from 08:00 until 22:00.