Libyan coastguards rescue 70 Europe-bound migrants off Misurata shores

BY Libyan Express Sep 29, 2019 - 14:54

Migrants reacued by Libyan coastguards off Garabulli. [Photo: Internet]

The UN refugee agency says Libya’s coast guard has rescued about 70 Europe-bound migrants after days in distress in the Mediterranean Sea.

UNHCR says Sunday the people have disembarked back in Libya. The previous day, it said a boat carrying at least 50 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean.

Coast guard spokesman Ayoub Qassim said the shipwreck took place off the western city of Misurata, 187 kilometers (116 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli.

Alarm Phone, an independent support group for people crossing the Mediterranean, said Saturday a second boat for migrants was in distress, with “about 56 lives at risk.”

Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the revolution that toppled and killed Moammar Gaddafi in 2011.

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