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Around 2700 illegal immigrants rescued off Libyan coast

Xinhua, July 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Around 2700 illegal immigrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast on Wednesday as they were attempting to reach European coasts, Libyan official news agency LANA reported Thursday.

The immigrants were rescued 55 km off the Libya coast by Italian coast guards. Italian navy also helped saving the immigrants.

Four years following the civil war which toppled the country's former top leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya descended into anarchy leaving a power vacuum in most of its territories, encouraging migrants to venture by sea via the North African country.

It has long been a transit point for migrants seeking to reach Malta, Italy, and other European countries due to its proximity and lackadaisical border control.

According to the International Organization for Migration, an estimated 150,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea so far in 2015, many of them departed from Libya. Endit