Libyan navy rescues 120 migrants off western coast
Xinhua,April 24, 2018 Adjust font size:
TRIPOLI, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Libyan navy on Monday rescued 120 illegal immigrants off the coast of Garrabulli city, some 55 km east of the capital Tripoli.
"120 illegal immigrants of different African nationalities have been rescued 50 miles off the coast of Garrabulli," Milad Abdalkarim, commander of navy patrol, told Xinhua.
"The migrants have been taken to Tripoli naval base," Abdalkarim added.
Navy spokesman on Sunday said that the bodies of 11 migrants were recovered and 283 others were rescued off the country's western coast in separate operations.
Following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya became the main departure point for migrants who want to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, due to chaos in the country.
According to official statistics, more than 4,000 migrants were rescued off Libya's coast in the first quarter of 2018. Enditem