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Libya navy saves 60 migrants stranded at sea

August 13, 2018 at 4:22 am

Refugees are seen after being rescued from the Mediterranean Sea near Libya on 15 June 2017 [Marcus Drinkwater/Anadolu Agency]

The navy of the UN-recognised Libyan Government of National Accord announced that it had rescued 60 migrants northwest of the city of Sorman yesterday.

A patrol rescued the migrants, including 19 women and four children, who were on board a rubber dinghy after its engine stopped working seven miles north of Sorman, the navy said in a statement.

Libya’s coast guard has been patrolling the Mediterranean Sea since striking a deal with Italy in February 2017 that empowered it to bring migrants back to a country where aid agencies say they suffer torture and abuse. The deal, which entailed Italy providing funds and equipment, was an attempt to stem the migrant flow.

Read: Libyan navy rescue 292 illegal migrants off western Libya coast