ABOARD THE GEO BARENTS (AP) — Two vessels rescued around 190 Europe-bound migrants, including women and children, off the coast of Libya, charities operating the vessels said Monday. More than 24,000 migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya by the country’s coast guard so far this year, according to the U.N. migration agency. The Ocean Viking, also working in the same area off Libya, rescued around 130 Europe-bound migrants over the past three days, said Claire Juchat, a communications officer for the SOS Mediterranee charity, which operates the vessel. The migrants, including 44 children and 12 women, were on four separate boats, Juchat said. Some Libyan militiamen have been implicated in widespread abuses of migrants, including torture and abduction for ransom.
