The libyan navy has rescued 252 migrants seeking to reach Europe, in two separate operations off the country's western coast. “We were alerted... To the position of a migrant boat” around 30 kilometres off Zawiya, west of Tripoli, navy captain Rami al-Hadi Ghomed said on Saturday.
He said the 140 migrants on board, including 14 women and four children, were brought back to Tripoli's naval base before being transferred to a detention centre.
Since the 2011 fall and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, unruly libya has become a key launch pad for migrants making desperate bids to reach Europe, often on unseaworthy vessels.