Libyan coastguard and navy Thursday rescued 187 African migrants from a boat that caught fire in the southern Mediterranean. The corpses of four passengers were recovered from the vessel, local news agency Lana reported.
The operation took place out six nautical miles from Sabrata and an investigation has been opened into the causes of the fire, Lana cited Libyan navy spokesman Ayoub Qassem as saying.
Nine women and four children were among those saved. Many of the migrants (64) were Sudanese and there were also 30 Moroccans and a number of Egyptians on board the boat, Lana said.
All the boat's passengers were handed over to Libya's illegal immigration authorities in the town of Zawia, which lies between Sabrata e Tripoli.
