Coast Guard in Al Zawiya Rescue Hundreds of Illegal Migrants.
Pulbished on:
Tripoli, 20 March 2016(Lana) A spokesman for the Marine Staff
Command Col. Ayub Gassem said the coast guard of the western sector
al-zawiya refinery point have rescued hundreds of illegal migrants,
after the boats they were travelling in sank in the Mediterranean in
the early hours of Sunday, but said some have not been so lucky.
While the coast guard were on patrol on Saturday, they found 4
rubber dinghies filled with migrants in a desperate condition in
rough weather and heavy winds, the spokesman said, adding that the
migrants were rescued from the boats which were taking in water. Five
bodies were recovered from the Sea, he added.
A total of 586 migrants, including 11 children and 60 women were
rescued in the operation, some of the rescued were pregnant women and
had a miscarriage, as a result of the panic, the spokesman said. The
migrants have come from African states including Ghana, Gambia,
Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Eritrea, Chad and Sudan.
The rescued migrants were transported to a relief camp to be
attended by the Libya Red Crescent Society workers.
The Spokesman said coordination existed between the Libyan coast
guard and the main rescue and salvation centre in Rome and the
European navy, where the Italian navy rescued 940 illegal migrants.
=Lana=