Ethiopian advance sparks evacuation

Ethiopian troops are reported within 100km of Asmara

The United States has started evacuating non-essential embassy staff and other American and foreign citizens from Eritrea.

A chartered plane took off with more than 200 people on board as Ethiopian forces reported further advances towards the capital and in western Eritrea.

The aircraft left for Germany from the Eritrean capital Asmara. Latest reports said Ethiopian troops had advanced to within 96km of the city.

However, Eritrean presidential spokesman Yemane Gebremeskel has insisted that Asmara is not in danger from Ethiopian troops

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The evacuees included American embassy staff and aid workers, as well as expatriates from Canada, Britain and Denmark.

Other foreigners gathered to join later flights out of the country.

US spokeswoman Collette Christian said 12 embassy workers would remain in the capital.

A number of Eritreans with dual nationality have been told by the Eritrean authorities that they must remain, as they are eligible for military service.

'Heavy Eritrean losses'

Earlier, Ethiopia said it had captured the border town of Om Hajer, at the extreme western edge of the frontier between the two countries.

POWs: Ethiopia's aim is to destroy the Eritrean army

It said Eritrean troops further north around the town of Teseney were fleeing following heavy losses. Some Eritrean troops were said to be crossing into Sudan.

Further bombing raids by the Ethiopian air force have also been reported.

An anti-aircraft missile site near the town of Mendefera in the south of the country was hit and destroyed on Saturday, an Ethiopian government spokeswoman said.

Bombing raids on the Sawa military training camp in western Eritrea "inflicted heavy damage", she added.

Two-year war

The declared aim of Ethiopia's offensive is to destroy the Eritrean military completely in order to end the two-year conflict along their common border.

Ethiopian soldiers en route to the Eritrean town of Barentu

The BBC's Peter Biles in Addis Ababa says Eritrea has undoubtedly suffered intense humiliation in recent days.

Its forces in the west are cut off, and the speed of Ethiopian advances has surprised almost everybody.

There have been international calls for Ethiopia to halt its advance, although Eritrea has accused Washington of failing to speak out strongly against the Ethiopian advance.

Drought

With no end in sight to the fighting, Asmara has said the number of displaced people could swell to one million.

It has said it needs immediate food supplies to reach an estimated 550,000 on the move after Ethiopia's military gains.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday said 350,000 people needed "immediate humanitarian assistance" because of the drought in Eritrea alone and said another eight million needed help in Ethiopia.

'Streaming in'

Thousands of the estimated 550,000 Eritreans uprooted by the fighting are seeking refuge across the Sudanese border.

Lindsey Davies of the UN's World Food Programme said most were women and children, "streaming in by foot, by donkey and by truck".

Aid agencies estimated that 12,250 refugees had fled into Sudan at three crossings in recent days, Mr Davies said.

The independent Al-Sahafi Al-Dawli newspaper in Sudan said that 70,000 Eritreans had entered Sudan by Friday night.

In Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Government said its nationals in Eritrea were "in grave danger", adding that four people had been killed and hundreds seriously wounded in attacks between 13 and 18 May.

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