72 migrants rescued off coast of Libya

The Spanish Rescue group Open Arms on Friday rescued 72 migrants off the coast of Libya, including pregnant women and minors.

Open Arms said the migrants were from Nigeria, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Mali and Guinea, and included 15 women, children and babies.

According to Open Arms, those pulled from the unseaworthy vessel had been in a state of panic, and the rescue was carried out under the close watch of a Libyan patrol boat.

Two of those rescued had thrown themselves overboard and had to be pulled to safety, it said.

Earlier, Open Arms said it also saved 44 migrants from Bangladesh and Morocco off the Libyan coast off a dinghy that had run into difficulty.

On Saturday, 12 migrants drowned and 21 others were rescued in the Ionian Sea near the Greek island of Paxos after their boat took in water and sank.

(Image Source: AP)