THE mission to bring home stranded Australians and New Zealanders from New Caledonia has started.
Both countries sent airplanes to the violence-hit French South Pacific territory on Tuesday.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said French authorities gave Australia the go signal to send two aircraft to evacuate citizens from the archipelago.
A Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules that can carry 124 passengers arrived at New Caledonia’s capital Noumea on Tuesday.
New Zealand also sent a plane to the French territory to evacuate 50 citizens.
An estimated 300 Australians or more reside in New Caledonia, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Electoral changes made by the French government that will allow thousands of non-Indigenous residents to vote in local elections sparked the unrest last week.
The indigenous Kanak people, who make up about 40% of the population in New Caledonia, argued the proposed electoral changes would remove the political influence of native people.
Videos of charred vehicles and closed roads in New Caledonia flooded social media as police and special forces struggled to regain control of the highway to the international airport blocked by the protesters.
The death toll rose to six on Thursday while more than 200 people have been arrested.
The international airport in the capital remains closed, causing thousands of flights to get canceled and tourists stranded in the archipelago.
French President Emmanuel Macron declared a state of emergency last week and deployed 1,000 security forces in the overseas territory.
