850 EU-bound African migrants, including 11 pregnant women intercepted off Libya shores

7 boats carrying 850 illegal migrants were intercepted off Sabratha coast, west of the capital Tripoli, on Sunday, May 22, Libyan Coast Guards has said.

A spokesman said the migrants, of various African nationalities, were found on inflatable boats north of Sabratha at 7:30 am while they were on their way to Europe.

79 women, 11 of them are pregnant, and 11 children were among the migrants. They were later transferred to the Illegal Immigration Fight Authority in Zawia.
                                

                     

More than 30,000 migrants have already crossed from Libya to Italy this year. It comes as the UN's first World Humanitarian Summit is due to open in Istanbul. Heads of states, aid agencies and others will discuss the financial response to crises and how better to distribute aid to those who most need it.

Libya has become a major hub for migrants as people traffickers exploit lawlessness in the country.

Libya has warned that it does not have the resources to control the flow of people heading to Europe and has accused the EU of failing to deliver on promises of help.

Source: Libya Observer/BBC/REUTERS