Group rescues dozens off coast of Libya

Seventy-seven migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on Friday by activists and brought to the non-profit rescue ship, Sea-Watch 4.

The group said they had rescued 44 migrants on Thursday, bringing the total on board to 121.

The Italian Ministry of the Interior reports that 9,013 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea as of April 30 in 2021.

Some 618 have either died or gone missing.

In the years since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, war-torn Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing Africa and the Middle East.

Last week, 130 Europe-bound migrants went missing in the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast, in the deadliest shipwreck since the beginning of the year.

The rescue ship Ocean Viking found two overturned dinghies and at least 10 bodies floating near it after responding to a distress call.