TRIPOLI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Fifty migrants were rescued and the bodies of seven others were discovered on Monday by a humanitarian vessel operated by Italian non-governmental organization Emergency in international waters off the Libyan coast, the organization said.
The organization said its vessel found the migrants aboard a two-deck wooden boat and carried out the rescue operation, transferring the survivors onto its vessel.
It did not provide the nationalities of the migrants or further details about the circumstances of the incident.
Libya is a major departure point for migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Migrant boat accidents frequently occur off its coast, resulting in deaths and disappearances.
