Five migrants died and nearly 200 were rescued off the coast of Libya while trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in two boats.
Libyan navy said, three children and nine women were among 94 migrants rescued yesterday when their inflatable dinghy sank 12 nautical miles from Garabulli, east of the capital Tripoli.
Navy spokesman said, five migrants from Sudan, Nigeria, Chad and Egypt aboard the same vessel lost their lives. The spokesman said, another 91 migrants travelling in another boat were rescued in the same area.
A total of 900 migrants have been intercepted or rescued by the Libyan navy since Wednesday as departures pick up due to favourable weather. Usually in such cases the migrants are taken to detention centres pending repatriation.
Source: AIR