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Irish naval vessel rescues 380 people off Libya coast

Xinhua, September 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

Irish naval vessel LE Niamh rescued 380 refugees and migrants in three operations in the Mediterranean on Friday, the military said.

The Irish naval vessel rescued 124 people just before 10 a.m. local time off the north east coast of Libya's capital city Tripoli, the military said, adding that an hour later in a separate operation the vessel rescued 127 people nearby, before rescuing a further 129 people from a deflating rubber craft.

The people were given water, food and medical assistance by the team on board.

The Irish naval vessel has now rescued a total of 3,773 refugees and migrants since commencing operations in the Mediterranean in July.

LE Niamh, with a crew of 55 naval service personnel and two medics, continued the work started by LE Eithne, the first Irish Naval vessel, which was deployed to the Mediterranean in mid-May to assist the Italian authorities in the humanitarian operation to rescue refugees and migrants fleeing North Africa. Endit