The official spokesperson for the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Naval Forces confirmed that the coast guard managed to rescue 71 migrants.
Through his official Facebook account, the spokesperson explained that the rescued migrants of several African nationalities were on their way to European shores on a rubber boat.
The official spokesperson added that as soon as he received a distress call, the Libyan boat Ras Jedir was moved after being equipped with the necessary equipment needed for the rescue operation.
He stated that as soon as the rescue operation was completed, the migrants disembarked at the Tripoli Naval Base landing point, and they were all transferred to the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency. They will complete the procedures for their deportation safely back to their countries of origin.
Libya has been suffering from insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Moammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
So far in 2021, more than 20,000 migrants have been rescued, while hundreds others have died or went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).