Libyan guards catch 51 migrants sailing to Europe

Published November 20, 2014

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) -- A Libyan security official says border guards have caught 51 Somalis who were trying to sail to Europe when their boat broke down.

Tripoli's preventative security chief, Karim Al-Traiki, said Friday the group set sail overnight on an inflatable raft, but their engine stalled at sea, forcing some to swim to shore to ask for help.

Libyan guards motored out to retrieve the others.

Six women, some of them pregnant, were among the group. The guards were holding them in a security office while deciding what do to with them.

Libya has long been a jumping-off point for migrants seeking to enter Europe illegally. The revolutionary forces that took control of the country after overthrowing Muammar Qaddafi last year said they would work to prevent illegal immigration from their shores.

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