Manila: Efforts to move Filipinos out of Libya continue on the heels of reports of difficulties experienced by Philippine nationals in conflict stricken North African country. Heavy shelling resumed on Thursday in southern Tripoli where rival militia brigades were battling for control of the capital’s main airport in some of the worst clashes since the 2011 revolt which ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

Around 200 people have been killed since the clashes erupted two weeks ago in the capital and also in the eastern city of Benghazi, where a coalition of Islamist militants and former rebels have overrun a major army base in the city. Thuds of artillery and anti-aircraft cannons echoed across Tripoli from early Thursday morning, a day after a temporary ceasefire agreed by factions to allow firefighters to put out a huge blaze at a fuel depot hit by a rocket.

Reports indicate that some Filipinos have been stranded in certain areas of Libya, including in Tripoli, and are afraid to venture out for fear being caught in the crossfire and for lack of transport that could safely get them out of the country.

Filipinos have resorted to whatever means they have to get their message out to their government that they need help.

In one video sent to Adelio Angelito Cruz, Chargé d’Affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, a certain Edgar Baracena called for help and immediate repatriation.

“Please help up us get repatriated. Bombs are detonating close by from where we are located and fighting took place just near us. An aircraft had recently crashed,” he said in Filipino while claiming to have worked for the North Africa Company.

It was unclear how the video was sent to Cruz, but in the footage, Baracena said that he and eight other Filipinos are stranded at an undisclosed building in Tripoli.

“We have been left by our company here as it would be unsafe to venture any further. We have nothing but the clothes on their backs with us,” Baracena said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said mandatory repatriation of Filipinos in the North African country continues.

There are some 13,000 Filipinos in Libya when the latest hostilities broke out.

“The DFA reassures the public that repatriation efforts are on-going in Libya under Crisis Alert Level 4 (Mandatory Repatriation). At no point in time was it discontinued,” DFA Spokesperson Charles Jose said.

DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario has said that the Philippine government has already chartered a ship to move the Filipinos to safer areas.

“The ship can accommodate 1,000 people,” he said, noting that from Libya, the Filipinos would be taken to safer location, possibly Tunisia.

It could take several ferry trips to move the more than 10,000 Filipinos.

According to the DFA, a total 708 Filipinos had been moved by the Philippines government via Emirates commercial flights since the mandatory evacuation was ordered last week.

Meanwhile, an Agence France Presse report said a Filipina nurse had been abducted Wednesday in Tripoli and was released later on.

The unnamed Filipina was on her way to work when she was abducted. The report said that she had suffered a form of “aggression” from her captors.

Some 3,000 of the Filipinos in Libya are employed as doctors and nurses.

The alleged abuse carried out against the Filipina nurse follows last week’s abduction and killing of a construction worker from the Philippines.