Sixteen Japanese fleeing the turmoil in Congo, formerly known as Zaire, have arrived safely in neighboring Gabon, according to Foreign Ministry officials.

The evacuees landed in Libreville on a plane chartered by the Japanese government, the officials said. The 16 Japanese, including two employees of the Japanese Embassy in Kinshasa, were part of a group of 25 Japanese who arrived in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo's capital, on Saturday after crossing the Congo River by boat.

The remaining nine people, including two more embassy employees, will also be flown to Gabon, the officials said.