Prominent French nongovernmental organization (NGO) SOS Mediterranee said its search and rescue vessel rescued over 230 migrants from two rubber boats off the coast of Libya on Tuesday.
"Today, the #OceanViking rescued 236 people from 2 overcrowded rubber boats in distress in international waters, 32 NM (nautical miles) off Zawiyah, Libya," the NGO said on Twitter.
"Several survivors were weak, dehydrated & are now recovering. Women suffer mild fuel burns & have inhaled fumes. 114 minors are unaccompanied," it added.
At least 172 people were killed in three different shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean Sea over the past few days and the number of drowning in the world's deadliest crossing more than doubled in 2021, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said last week.
Libya, which descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, has emerged as a major transit point for African and Arab migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe.
Most migrants make the perilous journey in ill-equipped and unsafe rubber boats.
