(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
120 refugees were rescued by a Libyan fisherman after their boat capsized about 11 kilometres off the Zuwara coast, 118 kilometres west of Tripoli.
The refugees on board the broken boat, six of whom were women, are from both Arab and African countries as well as a few refugees from Bangladesh, said Ayoub Qassim, a spokesperson for the Libyan Navy, to local news.
“I wrestled the waves all the way through the ocean by tugging the broken down dinghy to Zuwara port using my small fishing boat,” said the fisherman.
The Libyan coast guard provided the rescued refugees medical and humanitarian assistance. The refugees will then be transported to the Passports Investigation Apparatus, since Zuwara does not have a centre intended to process smuggled refugees.
Recently, two Libyan men conducted a rescue mission using jet ski’s to to save 8 refugees stranded after their boat broke down in the Mediterranean.
Human smugglers operating in Libya have been taking advantage of Libya’s political instability and the lack of security in the country, causing the number of refugees drowning to their death to increase at an alarming rate.
Some of the organizations that have been involved in rescue missions in the Mediterranean include MOAS, MSF, Save the Children, the Libyan coast guard and the naval vessels of other European countries.