Thousands of migrants rescued inMediterranean Sea off Libya
OFF THE COAST OF LIBYA— Italian naval ships and vessels from non-government groups rescued thousands of migrants off the Libyan coast on Monday, the latest surge in desperate attempts to flee to Europe driven by war, poverty and human traffickers.
The dramatic operation took place just 13 miles north of the town of Sabratha in Libya.
Groups such as Proactiva Open Arms and Doctors Without Borders helped take on some 3,000 people who had been traveling in about 20 small wooden boats. Migrants cheered as rescue boats arrived, with some jumping into the water and swimming toward them while others carefully carried babies onto the rescue ships.
Tens of thousands of Africans take the dangerous Migrants from Eritrea are rescued Monday in the Mediterranean Sea about 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya.
Mediterranean Sea route as a gateway to a better life in Europe, alongside those fleeing wars from Syria to Afghanistan.
Libya’s chaos and lack of border controls have made it into a transit route. Since the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, the country has sunk into lawlessness, with myriad
militias vying for influence and an emerging Islamic State affiliate.
In June, the EU expanded its anti-smuggling operation in the central Mediterranean to include training Libyan coastal and naval forces, which are intercepting boatsandreturning migrants to Libya, where some are being held in abusive conditions.