>> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you?

>> and now "bbc world news." as libya's opposition takes gaddafi regime, hundreds have violently died. president obama says it must end. >> the suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and unacceptable. so are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters. >> the key parts of the country slipping out of government control, thousands flee. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast on pbs in america and around the globe. coming up later, hundreds still missing, the search efforts continue following new zealand's powerful earthquakes.

the crisis in libya is becoming increasingly volatile. that are reports up to 600 dead and the army being used against its own people. chaos on libya's borders with thousands of fleeing the feared bloodbath. president obama described the violence as outrageous. he said his administration was looking at a full range of options for dealing with the crisis. >> we strongly condemn the use of violence in libya. the american people send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all who have been killed and injured. the suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and unacceptable. so are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters and further punish the people of libya. these actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency.

the violence must stop. >> we will get some analysis from our correspondent in washington, but first a report from eastern libya, the scene of fierce fighting between likely armed protesters and colonel khadafy's forces. >> government buildings ablaze in eastern libya. this area is not completely under opposition control. militiamen direct traffic. shops and businesses are closed. but local people are still delighted to be rid of colonel gaddafi's rule. at an airfield in the northeast of the country, we found evidence of how tough the fight was, the runway carpeted with used ammunition. this was used to ferry and special forces and african mercenaries, ordered to shoot on demonstrators, but this is what is left behind after local

villagers took them on and one. local people said they fought off well-armed government troops. they showed the determination to get rid of the government of colonel gaddafi. here is how it happened. young people surging forward, on target first, slowly at fighting -- unarmed at first, slowly finding crude weaponry. the protesters said they did not hesitate to take on the government. >> we want to protect our homes. we want to protect our families. we had to do something. that he said this was the moment a helicopter gunship opened fire on them. and he also filmed as colonel gaddafi said the air force to bomb his own people. near the airfield, this was destroyed in the bombing.

despite many villagers. the aircraft was bombing the protesters? >> yes. they tried to save some people it inside the airport. >> now the runway has been blocked. these old russian fighter jets are going nowhere. government troops could no longer be flown in to terrorize protesters. it is a story repeated across libya as the opposition face down the military might that is the only thing keeping colonel gaddafi in power. >> let's get more on president obama's dealing with the crisis, making his first date at about the situation just about three hours ago. but now we get to it and threw north. >> britain and many european

nations, the u.s. has not moved quite as quickly to restore relations. some years ago, colonel gaddafi gave up on his nuclear weapons program, leading to a change in the atmosphere with washington, but they have not rushed in. there are talks of sanctions and a freeze of colonel khadafy's assets, but it would not amount to much. when you have the situation moving so quickly on the ground, it is difficult to see how that would change colonel gaddafi's actions. i think the administration realizes that the key thing at the moment, and the reason they're not being so specific is they're trying to get their own citizens out. there are still 5000 americans there and they are deeply concerned if they were to announce tougher action that could turn them into targets. >> many people thought that

president obama would mention colonel gaddafi by name. is it significant that he did not? >> i think that is something that protestors and colonel gaddafi, his supporters, will have noticed. yes, what the obama administration condemned what is happening, sing it is unacceptable, calling it outrageous, with the lack of any specific action and the lack of mention of colonel gaddafi himself, it could be that it gives them some breathing space for colonel gaddafi. the events are moving incredibly quickly, but what is clear is it is up to the protesters, those on the ground opposing colonel gaddafi to keep the momentum. from the outside world, there is very little they can do. i don't think there is any real support to go further. some are talking about no-fly zones.

i think that is unlikely. a massive evacuation operation to rescue tens of thousands of foreign nationals in the chaos in libya. the united states, china, and many european countries have sent planes, ships, and ferries to save their citizens, but the british government has been criticized for not doing enough. >> those who can escape are on their way out. hundreds streamed through the border with tunisia today, most could not be fast enough. the clutched a few possessions and told stories about what is happening inside the country in turmoil. is the government and control? >> yes, the government is in control. >> thousands have descended on tripoli airport. many countries have been rescuing people four days. tonight, britain is stands accused of abandoning u.k.

citizens. >> the british embassy, all he did was call two days ago, three days ago to say they are recommending women and children leave. two days ago he recommended everybody goes. i said, how? they said, that is your problem. >> this will worker was stranded in the desert, not able to escape. >> we are living every day in fear of our lives, as local people are protesting. we're living a nightmare. >> the french air force has already rescued its people. two aircraft landed in tripoli last night. officials were on hand to help them. british airlines have canceled all of their flights, but germany has run commercial and military planes to evacuate

people from libya. turkey has used planes and boats to get thousands home to safety. hundreds of british people have been leaving successfully from tripoli, many of them assisted by the foreign office. what happened this morning was to airlines that were meant to supply it plans refuse to do so or failed to do so and we have additional flights. >> those who have managed to get out have painted a grim picture. this man was beaten by soldiers simply because he cannot sing the libyan national anthem. the picture that is emerging is one of chaos. for the families leaving, they are believed to be out of the country. they also know many thousands are still left behind, desperate but afraid to leave. the first ferry to bring

british nationals out of the government is due to arrive before dawn. we're speaking to a libyan in tripoli. would you like to leave if you could? or do you want to stay? >> sorry, i am here. tripoli or are you going to stay? >> no, we are staying, we are not leaving. >> i understand that you went to the hospital to give blood. what did you see? >> today is a very quiet day in tripoli because the weather is so cold that it kept the protesters inside their houses, and even the army, which has kept the city so quiet. but that was today. when i went to the hospital and give blood, there were a lot of

people giving blood. we tried to investigate the situation, how many people were killed. there are a number of unknowns. we cannot get an exact number because a lot of people are giving blood, and the hospital is packed with people trying to give blood at as much as possible. we don't know what the medical condition, treatment, medical supplies. we tried to ask and see what we could do, what we could offer if there was something we could do. at the situation today in tripoli, i can say, is very quiet and col. -- and calm. >> i have heard eyewitness accounts of killings of people who were in line at a bakery, killing of a person who was standing on a balcony just looking out into the streets, not even protesting. does that make you scared to go

outside? will you let your family leave the house? >> killing people while standing in line at bakeries, i stood in line. this is the problem, with so much information, not with the phone lines, it is difficult to reach. all the phone lines, internet, they are down. it is not easy to reach through to my brothers, my family, friends, colleagues. we don't know if one of these people who were killed, it could be my brother, friends. we don't know who they are. this woman who was shot, a very good friend of mine. but people online, winding up for bread, i did not hear that. >> do you believe that if tripoli falls to the protesters, that is the end for gaddafi?

>> it definitely. definitely. excuse me, if you could give me this one opportunity, i would like to use this great opportunity to bbc to president obama, four days is like four years for us. each day that goes by, but it is -- it is like a year. each day is like a year for us. that is way too long. >> what would you like the international community to do? >> do something. i am a civilian person. i am a person who is seeing people hurt, killed. people need supplies. i mean, what can i do as a civilian? we're trying to help, what we can do, but the united nations, they have to do something.

they have to put more pressure, we need more pressure to stop the killings and bombings. this is too much. >> thank you very much for your time. for the latest in libya and across north africa, go to our website. we will have news and analysis from across the region, as well as links to get in touch with us here at the bbc. the price of oil has risen sharply because of the crisis in libya and several european nations are contemplating sanctions against libya. there was a call from french president nicolas sarkozy for the e.u. to suspend economic ties until further notice. >> french president nicolas sarkozy has called on europe to suspend economic relations with libya what gaddafi is in charge.

that is being backed in the u.s. by senator john kerry. since sanctions were fully lifted in 2005, world leaders including italy's silvio berlusconi, have rushed to establish good relations with colonel gaddafi. at last year's energy conference, visitors were joined by investors from gasprom, bp, and royal dutch shell. those contracts may now be at risk. severing ties would still have the biggest impact on italy. >> they could no longer count on libya for oil and natural gas deliveries. in addition, the libyan central bank, which holds a significant share of credit, italy's largest bank, has pretty much gone missing. >> sarkozy is also keen on

sanctions against the khaddafi family. his brother is alleged to have financial interests in oil. leaders elsewhere are rushing to secure their positions. in saudi arabia, the kaine returned to his kingdom, -- the king returned to his kingdom, giving out billions to civilians. this is "bbc world news." the crisis in libya grows increasingly volatile as reports of up to 600 dead and the army being used against its own people. at a mass evacuation of libyan nationals and tens of thousands of foreigners try to flee the chaos. on the telephone from london is matthew, whose girlfriend is currently stuck in tripoli

airport, hoping to get on a flight out of libya. when was the last time you spoke with your girlfriend? what did she say? >> thank you, it was about four hours ago, about midnight libyan time. effectively both her and the rest of the british nationals who are at the airport have been stranded since about 10:00 a.m. yesterday morning. there are several families with young children. ishe told me when i last spoke o her that they have continued to be refused entry into the airport on the grounds they cannot get charter flights and are not able to produce any valid boarding passes to the security. they have been having to stay in the car park, which is a bit of a problem.

i have been told they have been without access to shelter or any first-aid as well. >> did she tell you about what she saw what she was in tripoli? >> i have been lucky enough to be in contact with her the past couple days. she evacuated from her apartment friday or saturday and has been lucky enough to have been released eight, 10 kilometers southwest of the capital. that limits the amount of information she has been given. there is still gunfire in the streets, but generally, her and the rest of the people she has been with it have been inside. they have kept their heads down, stayed in the compound they were in the until yesterday morning. >> thank you for your time. we hope that you are reunited with your girlfriend sen.

we have also been speaking with the president of the international strategic studies in washington, who says colonel gaddafi is likely to flee the country. >> there is no question he is in a corner. the public in libya has crossed the river and there is no going back. if they surrender now, there will be mass murders. gaddafi has the alternative where he can leave the country, and he has always had preparations to leave the country. for decades, he had an aircraft in tripoli airport loaded with money and gold ready to flee at a moment's notice. he has put much money into zimbabwe and other places and made arrangements to go there if necessary. his braggadocio about staying in the country until he dies is just that, it is empty rhetoric. unless he gets caught, he will

probably flee the country. i think unless the public momentum stops, that will happen sooner rather than later. >> do you have any information about the mercenaries' he is reported to be using? >> yes, there is a wide variety, ethiopians, pakistani is, a lot of people from chad, some nigerians and other places, apparently ukrainians as well involve the of some of the more technical aspects, eastern europeans land the aircraft, some aircraft flown by libyans had already fled to malta, where they have landed on badly damaged runways. the mercenaries are widespread. virtually all of the killings we have seen reported in tripoli itself have been at the hands of foreign mercenaries. >> away from libya, hundreds are missing as search efforts

continue in the aftermath of tuesday's powerful earthquake in new zealand. no more survivors have been found overnight. the official death toll is now 71. the prime minister has warned that figure is likely to rise. >> as the sun rises over christ church, the devastation is plain to see. buildings were reduced to rubble, shaken to the ground. unable to fight the force of nature is what did hand. dozens have died. others buried in the debris have, against the odds, been pulled out alive. but new zealand's prime minister is warning the death toll is likely to rise. >> it is a process of matching up those who have been notified as being missing. we will have a more clear picture as wheat search. >> the scale of the work is huge. foreign rescue workers are

arriving to help. but fears that buildings could collapse at any moment are hampering the efforts. aftershocks but have also been adding to the problems. the center of christ church is not completely cordoned off. in national state of the mackenzie has been declared. this city is holding out hope that people could still be alive in the wrecked buildings. >> we will do everything to get to people as quickly as we can, and remember that people survive for a long time, but we want to get to people quickly. we have systems to get there quickly and efficiently. >> this is one of the worst hit buildings. more than a dozen members and staff are still missing. the rescue work has been called off, officials saying there are no signs of life. in all, about 120 people have been pulled out of the rubble in christchurch.

amputations have to be performed on some victims. this is a city shaken to the court, a city in morning, a city scarred by new zealand's worst national disaster in 80 years. matt mcclain is a reporter for television news zealand, currently on a bus tour conducted by the police at the three sides worst affected by the earthquake. where are you at the moment? >> i am outside of what remains of the christ church cathedral, absolutely in ruins at the moment. the police have confirmed 76 people have died, but those are just people who have been identified. they say that number will definitely rise. we are keeping an eye on the situation. the police have driven the media through the cordon darrius,

which are in crisis through the central business district. they have taken us through. we have seen some of the most major-league hit areas. buildings are in ruins, there is rubble, debris. i grew up in this city, studied, and it is terrific -- it is horrific to see what has happened. they have called off rescue operations here and it is not just recovery operations of bodies. they say they have not pulled anybody out yet, they will not do it. they're hopeful they could still find people alive in some buildings. they have pulled out four people yesterday, but none as of today. they have search dogs, audio equipment, and there are going around the central city and some of the badly hit buildings, trying to see if they can hear any signs of life. >> are there any official

figures on the number of people officially missing? >> at this stage, as i understand it, it could be up to 300. the police say communications or a problem at the moment. a lot of the people that have been reported as missing could just be family members who cannot get in touch with their loved ones who are actually safe. they are encouraging people to get in touch with neighbors, family, let them know you are okay, so they can cut down on the numbers and figure out how many people are missing. >> thank you for your time. the main news, president obama has condemned the bloodshed in libya in her first televised statement since the violence began their a week ago. lots more on our website. thank you for your time.

>> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a

wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.