133 migrants rescued from three boats off Libya

The German charity organisation Sea-Eye said on Saturday its rescue ship, Alan Kurdi, had picked up some 133 migrants from three different boats, stranded in the southern Mediterranean Sea.

According to a press release by Sea-Eye, the Alan Kurdi rescue vessel spotted an overloaded rubber dinghy, carrying 90 people on Saturday.

Alan Kurdi Captain Joachim Ebeling informed the German and Libyan authorities but did not receive any response.

Following the first rescue mission, the crew were informed about another wooden boat stranded in the southern Mediterranean Sea with 24 people on board.

Amongst the 114 rescued people on board the Alan Kurdi were "eight minors and eight women", the statement said, adding that several injured people and a pregnant woman received medical treatment.

In a later rescue mission, the crew of the Alan Kurdi picked up another 19 distressed migrants from a fishing boat, bringing the total number to 133 rescued migrants.

According to a tweet by Sea-Eye, the Alan Kurdi was on its way to the Italian port of Lampedusa.

Libya has emerged as a major transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe.

In recent years, the EU has partnered with Libya's coast guard and other local groups to stem the dangerous sea crossings.

Rights groups, however, say those policies leave migrants at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers rife with abuses.

===========================================================