Tripoli, Nov 26 (IANS): The Libyan navy has said that it rescued 113 illegal immigrants, including women and children, off the country's western coast.
The navy said in a statement on Sunday that coast guards patrol, in cooperation with a ship belonging to a gas field, rescued the immigrants who were on a rubber boat, Xinhua news agency reported.
The rescue operation took place some 75 km off the capital Tripoli's coast. The immigrants are from different African countries.
The rescued immigrants were taken to a reception centre in the nearby city of Zawiya, some 45 km west of Tripoli, the statement said.
Thousands of illegal immigrants choose to cross the Mediterranean toward European shores from Libya because of the chaos in the country following the 2011 uprising.