Libya: Navy rescues 105 illegal migrants off the Tripoli coasts

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) – The Libyan navy on Friday rescued some 105 illegal migrants on board of a fortune boat 10 miles off the coast of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, sources from the Libyan navy said.

The boat, which was carrying the illegal migrants, had broken down in the al-Garabolli zone, said the spokesperson for the Libyan navy, Colonel Ayoub Gacem, stressing that the alert was raised by fishermen who were operating in the area.

He added that the migrants are of different sub-Saharan nationalities, saying that they were all on good health and were handed over to the Department of Illegal Immigration.

Libya, which is used by illegal immigrants to reach Europe, shares borders with six sub-Saharan countries. It has seen a jump in the arrival of illegal migrants since the fall of the Mouammar Kadhafi regime in 2011.

The Libyan authorities often arrest hundreds of illegal migrants from sub-Saharan countries, who are detained in retention centres before being driven back across the border.
-0- PANA BY/TBM/MSA/MA 21Nov2014