UN says Libya’s coast guard rescued 70 Europe-bound migrants

CAIRO – The U.N. refugee agency says Libya’s coast guard has rescued about 70 Europe-bound migrants after days in distress in the Mediterranean Sea.

UNHCR says Sunday the people have disembarked back in Libya. The previous day, it said a boat carrying at least 50 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean.

Coast guard spokesman Ayoub Gassim said the shipwreck took place off the western city of Misrata, 187 kilometres (116 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli.

Alarm Phone, an independent support group for people crossing the Mediterranean, said Saturday a second boat for migrants was in distress, with “about 56 lives at risk.”

Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the uprising that toppled and killed Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.