Australian engineering firm WorleyParsons is evacuating its expatriate staff from Libya as the unrest against Muamaar Qadaffi’s 33-year rule are met with a violent response.

The majority of the staff has already been extricated, John Grill, chief executive officer, WorleyParsons said during a teleconference on 23 February.

“We’ve got a number of them out and we’re in the process of evacuating the remaining people over the next couple of days,” he said.

WorleyParsons established its office in the country three years ago, and have been working for the Libyan National Oil Company.

Grill also said that the company’s Egyptian office had reopened, after closing two weeks prior due to the political turmoil that ended the rule of Hosni Mubarak. Part of the company staff had been evacuated at the time.

“Our other workload there, it is a little early to tell how much we’ll be affected by it,” said Grill.