Libyan coast guard intercepts 180 migrants in Mediterranean

Women are transferred to a rescue team's dinghy during a rescue operation, off Libya coast on May 12, 2018. (File photo: AFP)

CAIRO: Libya’s coast guard has intercepted 180 migrants, including women and children, in the Mediterranean Sea, a day after stopping more than 150 migrants on two other boats.
It says the latest boat, whose passengers included 31 women and 12 children, was stopped Sunday off the coast of the western town of Khoms.
The migrants were taken to a naval base in Tripoli.
Libya was plunged into chaos following a 2011 uprising. The chaos has made it a popular route to Europe for migrants fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East.
Libya has worked to stem the flow of migrants, with European assistance.