Around 85 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast, east of Tripoli, on Saturday after their rubber boat started sinking.<br /><br />But up to 40 others crammed onboard, including pregnant women and at least seven children are missing.<br /><br />More than 2,000 migrants have died trying to reach Europe by sea from Libya this year alone.<br /><br />Fishermen raised the alarm and took part in the rescue along with Libyan coastguards.<br /><br />Atrocious news from the Med where 40 #people have reportedly drowned. In 2017 Fortress Europe continues to kill https://t.co/Ommy4mG3fT— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) 8 juillet 2017<br /><br />One unnamed survivor from Niger said he would advise relatives thinking of making the journey to stay at home rather than risk their lives trying to get to Italy.<br /><br />He said it was terrible to see humans dying and not be able to save them.<br /><br />Those rescued, about 10 km north-west of the town of Garabulli, were said to be largely from Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana.<br /><br />Garabulli is a common departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe. Smugglers usually cram the migrants into flimsy rubber boats with homemade wooden bases.<br /><br />Around 85,000 migrants have reached Italy so far in 2017. <br /><br />International Organization for Migration<br /><br />Meet Raheek. Her name means nectar in Arabic & at just 2 months old she’s crossed the #Sahara & the Med. She’s now safe in northern #Italy. pic.twitter.com/4G5f25oxkk— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) 7 juillet 2017<br /><br />Those stopped by the Libyan coastguard at sea are detained in centres, some official ones nominally run by the government and others run by an array of armed groups.<br /><br />Those running the centres raise money by making migrants or their families pay for their release, selling them back to smugglers or hiring them out for labour, migrants say. <br /><br />Sexual abuse is common, according to a former member of staff at one of the Tripoli centres.<br /><br />In unofficial centres and holding houses in western and southern Libya, run by militias or even by smugglers themselves, conditions are said to be far worse.<br /><br />with Reuters<br />
