Some 290 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean Sea as they tried to reach Europe according to Libyan authorities.
The migrants, which included 53 women and 57 children, were rescued from two stranded vessels which had suffered engine troubles during the crossing on Sunday
They were rescued off the coast of Garabulli, 30 miles east of Tripoli, then taken to the capital, naval officer Meftah al-Zlitni said.
Saved: Some of the 290 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya by the navy on Sunday
Rescued: Among the hundreds who tried and failed to cross the Mediterranean Sea were 53 women and 57 children
Desperate: A young child cries as the many people scramble to get off the large dinghy
The bodies of two female migrants were found on one of the vessels, a statement from the navy added.
The rescue took place one day after 64 migrants are believed to have drowned when smugglers’ rubber dinghy sank in the same area of the Mediterranean.
The boat started sinking due to a puncture off the coast of Libya, and Italian coast guard eventually rescued 86 people, and retrieved the bodies of eight dead women.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) later says that according to survivors, interviewed by the UN agency in Sicily, there were 150 persons aboard the overcrowded rubber dinghy went it took off from Libya.
The Italian coast guard launched a search but didn’t find any more survivors or bodies.
Return: The two boats of migrants were rescued off the coast of Garabulli, 30 miles east of Tripoli, then taken to the capital
Shrinking numbers: Some 119,000 people attempted to cross the Mediterranean in the second half of 2017, a decrease of one third on the previous yea
In need: Medics tend to a migrant after being rescued with others by Libyan coast guards, at a naval base in Tripoli,
Men, women and children regroup at the naval base after trying and failing to sail across the Mediterranean
Since the 2011 fall of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has become a key launch pad for migrants making desperate bids to reach Europe, often on unseaworthy vessels.
Last year, 3,116 people died attempting the crossing, according to the OIM.
There was however a sharp drop in arrivals in Italy during in the second half of 2017 following efforts by Rome to discourage migrants from attempting the crossing.
Some 119,000 embarked on the perilous journey, a decrease of one third on the previous year, according to Italy’s interior ministry.
The first six days of 2018 saw 400 people rescued and taken to Italy, compared to 729 over the same period in 2017, it said.
Some of many: Thousands try to make it across the Mediterranean – the first six days of 2018 saw 400 people rescued and taken to Italy
Aid: A worker from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees offers a blanket to a woman carrying a young child
Migrants arrive at the Tripoli naval base after they were rescued by Libyan coast guards