Malta rescues 320 migrants fleeing Libya

[News_Editor]

Malta rescues 320 migrants fleeing Libya

2011-05-20 01:44:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

VALLETTA, MALTA (BNO NEWS) -- A group of 320 migrants are expected to arrive in Malta later on Thursday after they were rescued by the Armed Forces.

Malta Today reported that the boat carrying the migrants was rescued 20 miles (32 kilometers) south east of Malta after its engine failed. Earlier in the day, an Italian NATO vessel currently patrolling the Mediterranean sea as part of a naval blockade on Libya intercepted the boat.

Senior military sources told Malta Today that there were a number of Libyan families who are fleeing their war-torn country. Egyptian and Bangladeshi workers, who have been stranded in Libya, and a number of women, children, and babies were also aboard.

Meanwhile, more than 500 migrants, who were also fleeing Libya, landed on Lampedusa on Thursday, while another boatload of migrants landed off the Sicilian port-town of Trapani.

According to Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, approximately 30,000 people have landed in the small island of Lampedusa following the unrest in Libya and Tunisia.

The North African country has been marred with violence since February after protests emerged against the long-standing regime of Muammar Gadaffi. NATO took control of foreign military operations in Libya on March 31 under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorizes member states to take 'all necessary measures' to protect civilians in the country.

NATO forces from several countries have carried out a series of air strikes against government forces and installations since the launch of Operation Unified Protector, the codename for NATO's operation in Libya. But fighting has continued despite the military action.

The ongoing civil war between rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi has so far claimed at least 2,000 lives since unrest began in mid-February. Other estimates put the death toll from all sides, including civilians, at up to 10,000.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-05-20