MSF: Rescuers save 373 migrants off Libya coast

Rescuers plucked 373 migrants from international waters off the coast of Libya on Monday after their boats ran into trouble, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said.

"The #Dignity1 has rescued 2 more rubber boats & now has 373 people including 62 women and 10 kids on board," the MSF said on Twitter, referring to its own rescue vessel.

"Many are suffering from shock," it said in another tweet showing a picture of a distressed six-year-old boy in the arms of a rescuer.

The survivors were transferred to Italy, said an MSF spokesman who asked not to be named.

On September 19, more than 4,500 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya were rescued in joint operations by European ships. An MSF vessel carried out 800 of the rescues that day.

Libya has for years been a stepping stone for migrants seeking to travel to Europe.

People smugglers have taken advantage of conflict and political chaos in Libya since its 2011 revolution to step up their lucrative business.

Source: AFP