Libyan coast guard rescues 200 migrants bound for Europe

CAIRO – Libya’s coast guard says it has intercepted 200 African migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

Spokesman Ayoub Gassim said late Tuesday a wooden boat was stopped off the eastern coast of the capital, Tripoli.

Libya’s coast guard has rescued more than 1,100 migrants this week, including dozens of women and children.

Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed Moammar Gaddafi. Since then the north African country has emerged as a major transit point to Europe for those fleeing poverty and civil war elsewhere in Africa.

Libyan authorities have recently stepped up efforts to stem the flow of migrants, with European assistance.