Illegal African migrants sit in a boat during a rescue operation on
April 15, 2015 off the coast of Sicily. More than 120 migrants were
rescued by Libyan coastguards on February 5, 2017 off the coast of
Tripoli after their boat ran into trouble. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
By AFP
More than 120 migrants including women and children were
rescued by Libyan coastguards Sunday off the coast of Tripoli after
their boat ran into trouble.
The migrants set off Friday from Sabratha — a town 70km west of
Libya's capital that has become a staging ground for traffickers — but
their boat's engine failed, a coastguard official said.
An AFP photographer at the scene of the rescue said the vessel
was intercepted by a coastguard patrol boat around 20 nautical miles
northeast of Tripoli.
Had intercepted
The official said those on board were of various African
nationalities and included 10 women and five children, including a baby.
Libya said on Saturday it had intercepted more than 400 migrants bound for Europe in recent days.
The announcement followed a meeting of European Union leaders in
Malta where they agreed moves to curb mass migration from Libya.
The plan includes funding and training Libya's coastguard to
make it better able to intercept migrant boats and helping neighbouring
countries to close routes into Libya, according to a draft statement
seen by AFP.
People have died
Lawlessness in Libya since a 2011 uprising that ousted longtime
strongman Muammar Gaddafi has allowed smuggling networks to develop a
lucrative trafficking trade.
Italy's coastguard said Thursday that more than 1,750 migrants had been rescued in the Mediterranean within 24 hours.
Around 230 people have died en route to Europe since the start of 2017, according to the United Nations.
No comments :
Post a Comment