By Jihad Nasr  

TRIPOLI 

Libyan naval forces on Sunday rescued 40 migrants in the country’s western coast.  

According to a statement by the Libyan navy, the migrants were rescued aboard a rubber boat north of Zuwara in western Libya.  

The migrants -- 31 men, eight women and a child -- were from Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Nigeria and were transferred to the Tripoli naval base for humanitarian and medical relief, the statement said.  

Ever since the collapse of the central authority in Libya in 2011, the country’s northwestern coast has become a hub for illegal migration to Italy and other countries in Europe.  

Libya represents a major transit point for African migrants seeking access to Europe, especially Italy.