Libyan coast guard rescues 60 Europe-bound migrants

CAIRO – Libya’s coast guard says it has rescued 60 Europe-bound migrants, including women and children, off the Mediterranean coast.

Spokesman Ayoub Gassim says the migrants, including 19 women and four children, were rescued after their rubber boat ran into trouble Sunday off the coast of the western town of Zawiya.

He says the migrants were given humanitarian and medical aid, and were taken to a refugee camp in the town.

Libya has emerged as a major transit point to Europe for those fleeing poverty and civil war elsewhere in Africa. Traffickers have exploited Libya’s chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

Libyan authorities have stepped up efforts to stem the flow of migrants, with European assistance.