72 more migrants rescued off Libyan coast

72 more migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya by the Spanish Rescue Group, Open Arms Friday.

The migrants included 15 pregnant women, children and babies. The charity said the migrants were from Nigeria, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Mali and Guinea.

Open Arms said, those who were pulled from the unseaworthy vessel had been in a state of panic and the rescue was carried out under the watch of the Libyan patrol team.

Two of those rescued had thrown themselves overboard and had to be pulled to safety, it said.

Earlier, Open Arms said it also saved 44 migrants from Bangladesh and Morocco off the Libyan coast off a dinghy that had run into difficulty.

On Saturday, 12 migrants drowned and 21 others were rescued in the Ionian Sea near the Greek island of Paxos after their boat took in water and sank.

AP