Migrants including a tiny baby are plucked from the sea off the coast of Libya by rescue teams as they try to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean

  • The Arab and African migrants called the coast guard after getting into difficulty
  • They were rescued at sea between the towns of Garabulli and Zliten yesterday
  • Libyan coast guards have rescued more than 450 migrants in less than a week

Libyan coast guards rescued at least 270 migrants off the country's shores yesterday, a Navy official said. 

The Arab and African migrants, who included women and children, were found at sea in an area between the coastal towns of Garabulli and Zliten, east of the capital, Tripoli, and were taken to a naval base.

The latest mission brings the total number of migrants rescued by Libyan coast guards to more than 450 in less than a week. 

Rescuers carry a baby on to a boat after rescuing her and other migrants from the sea yesterday

Rescuers carry a baby on to a boat after rescuing her and other migrants from the sea yesterday

A rigid hulled inflatable boat brings migrants to safety after they tried to cross the Mediterranean

A rigid hulled inflatable boat brings migrants to safety after they tried to cross the Mediterranean

A migrant on the MV Aquarius, a search and rescue ship, calls out to other migrants being rescued

A migrant on the MV Aquarius, a search and rescue ship, calls out to other migrants being rescued

A rescue crew member passes a baby wearing a life jacket to fellow rescuers 

A rescue crew member passes a baby wearing a life jacket to fellow rescuers 

'We were lost and didn't know where to direct our boat,' Omar Yusef, a Sudanese migrant said. 'We called the coast guard and a helicopter came and guided us.'

Doctors from the UN migration agency and UNHCR received them at the naval base to provide medical assistance before immigration control transferred them to a Tripoli detention centre.

Libya descended into chaos following an uprising in 2011 that toppled and later killed longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. It has since become a frequently used perilous route to Europe for those fleeing poverty and civil war in the region.

The influx of refugees prompted the EU to train and equip Libya's coast guard to stop boats trying to make the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossings.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants are trapped in Libyan detention centres, which often slammed by rights groups as overcrowded and unsanitary.

Migrants arrive on the MV Aquarius after being rescued by the Libyan coast guard

Migrants arrive on the MV Aquarius after being rescued by the Libyan coast guard

Libyan coast guards rescued at least 270 migrants off the country's shores

Libyan coast guards rescued at least 270 migrants off the country's shores

The latest mission brings the total number of migrants rescued by Libyan coast guards to more than 450 in less than a week.

The latest mission brings the total number of migrants rescued by Libyan coast guards to more than 450 in less than a week.

Some 167,700 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea since the start of 2017

Some 167,700 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea since the start of 2017

Europe's cooperation with Libyan authorities has, however, reduced the number of migrants and refugees crossing into Europe by more than half since  last year.

According to the UN migration agency's latest figures, some 167,700 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea since the start of 2017, compared to at least 358,000 in 2016.

Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, among other aid and rights groups, have criticised the EU's policy, saying it primarily aims to block the Mediterranean trafficking route and leave thousands of migrants trapped in Libya at risk of horrific abuses.