25 migrants believed dead as Libya’s coast guard rescues 115

CAIRO – The spokesman for the Libyan coast guard says 115 migrants have been rescued off of Libyan shores, and 25 others have gone missing as they attempted to cross the Mediterranean.

Ayoub Gassim told The Associated Press Friday that the migrants left the Tripoli’s Tajoura district at 1 a.m. on Friday and sent a distress call at 1 p.m. The coast guard rescued 115 of the migrants, including six women, from the sinking boat. A total of 140 migrants were on board, he said.

Gassim says the coast guard has rescued over 2000 migrants this year. A “very high number” if compared to previous years, he added, without providing any additional details.