TRIPOLI, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Libyan navy on Tuesday rescued 165 illegal immigrants off the coast of the city of Garrabulli, some 60 km east of the capital Tripoli.
According to a statement issued by the Libyan navy, the immigrants include 34 women and 12 children. They had been stranded on a broken rubber boat since Saturday, suffering dehydration and sunburns.
The rescue operation took place 75 miles off Garrabulli coast. The navy recovered the body of a little girl a few months old who died on the boat.
Due to the state of insecurity and chaos in the country since the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Gaddafi's regime, Libya became a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards European shores, many of whom die on the way.
