Libyan navy rescues 117 migrants, including pregnant women

A Libyan navy spokesman says 117 migrants, including six pregnant women, have been rescued off the North African country’s Mediterranean coast.

A Libyan navy spokesman says 117 migrants, including six pregnant women, have been rescued off the North African country’s Mediterranean coast.

Migrants, who attempted to flee the Libyan coast to head to Europe, are seen after being detained at the fishing port in the coastal city of Tripoli, Libya, June 7, 2016. (Reuters)

Col. Ayoub Gassim told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the coast guard received a distress call the previous day northeast of Tripoli, the Libyan capital, near a district called al-Garabouli.

He says two boats from the Libyan coast guard rushed to the site and found a tug boat packed with migrants. The migrants were handed over to the anti-trafficking force in Tripoli and the women were taken to hospital.

Last week, more than 110 bodies washed ashore in Libya after a smuggling boat sank, carrying mostly African migrants.

Thousands of migrants have attempted the dangerous Mediterranean crossing this year and more than a thousand have drowned.