Libya Rescues 151 Migrants off Sirte
The Libyan Coast Guard rescued 151 migrants from a rubber boat off Sirte on November 9. The migrants came from six countries. The rescue followed a series of migrant boat accidents in the Mediterranean.
The Libyan Coast Guard rescued 151 migrants from a rubber boat off Sirte, a city in northern Libya, on November 9. Libyan media reported that the rescue took place that morning, about 148 kilometers off the coast northeast of Sirte.
Migrants aboard a boat at sea (file photo).（VietVance）
Those rescued included 122 people from Bangladesh, 12 from Egypt, nine from Eritrea, four from Sudan, two from Chad and two from Benin. The coast guard units involved in the operation belong to the Supreme Command of the Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar; the force currently controls eastern Libya.
The rescue followed a series of migrant boat accidents in the Mediterranean in recent days. Two boats sank off the Greek island of Crete, killing at least 22 people.
Libya remains one of the main transit points for migrants seeking to reach Europe across the Mediterranean. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in 2011, political divisions, security instability and the activities of human-smuggling networks have continued to complicate irregular migration through Libya’s territory and waters.
Source: VietVance
