Advertisement

Italy's coast guard rescues another 700 people off Libyan coast

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Italy's coast guard rescues another 700 people off Libyan coast
File photo of an Italian coastguard patrol escorting a boat of migrants. Photo: Roberto Salomone/AFP

About 730 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast on Wednesday after seven rescue operations mounted by the Italian coast guard and the SOS Mediterranee aid group.

Advertisement

The migrants were mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, said the coast guard, which is coordinating rescue operations in the central Mediterranean.

SOS Mediterranee, which operates in the region, said its ship Aquarius had recovered 394 people, including a group of 75 Bangladeshis.

Six years after the fall of Moamer Kadhafi, Libya is still in chaos and the country has become a major launching pad for migrants seeking to enter Europe.

In the absence of an army or a regular police force in Libya, several militias act as coast guards but are often accused themselves of complicity or even involvement in the people-smuggling business.

The number of attempted crossings to Italy has surged this year, with most departures taking place from the west of Libya, from where Italy is just 300 kilometres (190 miles) away.

Europeans are considering measures aimed at blocking the arrival of thousands of migrants, alarming NGOs which fear that those stranded in Libya may suffer mistreatment.

READ ALSO: EU migrant plan will 'send children back to a living hell', say rights groups

EU migrant plan will 'send children back to a living hell', rights groups say
Members of the Libyan Red Crescent gather to treat the drowned bodies of illegal immigrants which washed ashore after their ship sank. Photo: Mahmud Turkia/AFP

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also