Philippine diplomats say they have started evacuating a small group of Filipinos from the Libyan capital after it was hit by a barrage of rocket fire that wounded one Filipino.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Emmanuel Fernandez said Thursday three hospital workers and four students were evacuated by Philippine Embassy personnel from Tripoli to Tunisia, where they are to take flights back home.

Manila's top diplomat in Tripoli, Elmer Cato, says 13 more Filipinos have sought help and are expected to be flown back home soon.

Cato says that of about 1,000 Filipinos in Tripoli, only 20 have so far asked to be repatriated, including Rolando Torres, who was wounded in the forehead in the rocket fire late Tuesday in the Libyan capital.