Libya’s coast guard says it has intercepted a boat carrying nearly 100 Europe-bound migrants, including women and children, off the country’s Mediterranean coast.
Spokesman Ayoub Gassim said Tuesday that the rubber vessel had 92 African and Bengali migrants, including 11 women and four children. They were intercepted Monday off the coast of the western town of Garaboli, 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli.
He says the migrants were given humanitarian and medical aid and then taken to a refugee camp in the Tajoura district of eastern Tripoli.
Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
Libyan authorities have stepped up efforts to stem the flow of migrants, with European assistance.