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LE Eithne
Further 310 migrants rescued by Irish Naval ship this morning
The crew has now rescued 1,064 migrnats in the Mediterranean.
A FURTHER 310 migrants have been rescued by LÉ Eithne off the coast of Libya this morning.
This is the sixth rescue mission for the naval vessel since it departed from Cork on May 16.
Overnight 113 migrants were found on a small raft around 40 kilometres north of Tripoli in Libya.
Of the 310 people rescued this morning, 212 are men, 59 are women and 39 are children.
The operation took place approximately 30 miles north of the city of Zuwarah, Libya.
The Defence Forces said that weather conditions at the time were difficult, with dense fog hampering the operation.
The Minister for Defence, Mr Simon Coveney said, “This brings to 1,064 the number of people saved by our Naval Service in the last week.
“I would like to thank the crew of the LE Eithne for their outstanding work in the Mediterranean to date and to wish them continued success in their endeavours.”
Brian Killoran, Chief Executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland said,
The rescue of such large numbers of people shows that despite warnings not to make the crossing that people remain in a desperate situation and will risk everything to reach safety.
The LÉ EITHNE has resumed patrol is expecting further taskings in the coming hours.
Read: Irish Naval ship LÉ Eithne has rescued another 113 migrants off the coast of Libya>
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