Updated 8.30pm

THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS has confirmed that 27 Irish people remain in Libya following evacuations that took place today.

None of the three Irish Air Corps planes stationed in Malta were used in the evacuation with six people said to have been taken out of Tripoli’s international airport on other flights.

Tonight, the department said attempts were made to contact all remaining Irish citizens in Tripoli, believed to be 21, and that although a small number wished to leave “they were unwilling or unable to risk travelling to the airport.”

The emergency consular assistance team has now returned  to Malta “in light of the sharply deteriorating security situation”. It will reassess the situation tomorrow.

The DFA earlier confirmed that 12 Irish citizens who were in the country’s second city of Benghazi have been evacuated by sea.

Six other Irish citizens are believed to be elsewhere in Libya.

Three of those are part of on-going evacuation efforts whilst the other three have been advised to remain where they are.

The DFA say that these people are in “desert areas” and that they are working with the companies that employ them and EU partners to ensure “Irish citizens are included in evacuation arrangements.”

The department added that arrangements are being made for the Air Corps to fly to Dublin tomorrow with a number of citizens who were evacuated by sea from Libya to Malta earlier today.