164 Bangladeshis rescued by Libyan coast guards from Mediterranean Sea

Libyan coast guards have rescued and detained 439 migrants, including 164 Bangladeshis, from the Mediterranean Sea as they were trying to go to Europe.

Bangladesh mission in Libya has confirmed the incident to The Daily Star.

The coast guards on two ships rescued the migrants from several boats in the sea on Thursday. All the migrants are African and Asian.

A Libyan navy spokesperson said that they were taken to Tripoli Naval Base after rescue.

Later they were handed over to the authorities of preventing illegal migration. Currently, the are kept at a shelter camp.

Embassy of Bangladesh in Libya Chargé d'affaires Gazi Md Asaduzzaman Kabir said they were aware of the development.

Till May this year, the coast guards rescued 9,216 migrants who were trying to go to Europe through the sea. At the same time last year, 7,100 people were rescued by the coast guards.

Libyan Interior Minister Khaled Tijani Mazen shared this at a meeting with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

On Thursday, Mazen at another meeting with UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said around 700,000 undocumented migrants from different countries have been staying in Libya.

According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees data, 11,000 migrants from different counties reached Libya illegally through the sea from January to April this year.

Besides, more than 700 migrants died from January to May 21 when they tried to cross the sea. Last year, 1,400 people died while they tried to do so.

On May 18, Tunisian navy rescued 68 Bangladeshis when a boat carrying them capsized in the sea. Thirteen Bangladeshis are still missing since the incident occurred.

The boat capsized in the sea when all of them were trying to go to Italy from Libya.