Libya: 6,500 Migrants Rescued in Single Day off Libyan Coast

Italian coastguard Monday indicated that they saved around 6,500 migrants off the Libyan coast in forty operations making Monday the busiest day for rescuers.

The migrants according to Italian authorities left the Libyan town of Sabratha.

The Italian coastguards, humanitarian NGOs Proactiva Open Arms and Médecins Sans Frontières and EU’s border agency Frontex took part in 40 rescue operations 20 km off the Libyan coasts to save the migrants; some of whom jumped to the sea to reach the rescuers.

Some 1,100 migrants were also rescued on Sunday in the same area.

Migrants from southern Sahara, Eritrea, Somalia fleeing war, famine attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing, hoping to join Europe for better life.

About 106,000 people according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have already arrived in Italy. Around 3,000 have perished trying the crossing.

275,000 other migrants are waiting in Libya to cross the Mediterranean, the IOM says.

The lawlessness in Libya has facilitated migrant smuggling. The North African country has become the main departure point for migrants who are helped by criminal networks.