73 migrants rescued off of Libya coast
As Libya and Tunisia urge Europe to increase aid to help tackle their migration crisis, 73 migrants were rescued off of the coast of Libya on the 2nd and 3rd of August reports Euronews and AFP.
The non-profit organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it rescued 73 people after carrying out two rescue operations at sea off the Libyan coast.
On August 2nd, 47 people were taken from a fibreglass boat that was in difficulty, and the next morning, another 26 people were rescued from a wooden boat.
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All 73 passengers were safely brought aboard the GeoBarents rescue ship, which is operated by MSF and embarked on its way to its assigned port of Ravenna in Italy.
The MSF rescue team said two people refused help on the 2nd and decided to stay on the fibreglass boat. They were later assisted by two unmarked boats that identified themselves as the Libyan coast guard.
Two people refused to accept the help on Friday, instead remaining on the fibreglass boat and later boarding two unmarked boats that identified themselves as the Libyan coast guard, according to the rescue team.
On top of the 73 migrants rescued, the Sea-Watch NGO also spotted the Libyan coast guard on the 3rd taking some 80 migrants aboard two of their boats from a heavily overcrowded dinghy.
READ: UN: Sudanese refugees fleeing to Libya and Uganda in need of aid
In recent years, the European Union has increased efforts to reduce migration, including by providing equipment and financial support to the Libyan Coast Guard.
Libya, which is still struggling to recover from years of war and chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, has been criticised over the treatment of migrants and refugees.
Accusations from rights groups range from extortion to slavery, while smugglers and human traffickers have also taken advantage of the climate of instability in the country.
Euronews/AFP.
