TRIPOLI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Libya's Coast Security said its units rescued 49 Sudanese migrants from drowning off the coast of Zuwara, about 120 km west of Tripoli, the capital, the force said late on Friday.

In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the General Administration of Coast Security, which operates under the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU), said the migrants were stranded after their boat broke down and were brought ashore at Al-Shaab port in Tripoli.

"Legal measures were taken against them," it added, without giving further details.

According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 240,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to Libya since war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

In September, a boat carrying 74 people, mostly Sudanese, capsized off Libya's coast, leaving only 13 survivors, UNHCR said.

Libya has been a major transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Human smuggling networks have flourished amid years of political division and insecurity, leaving migrants vulnerable to abuse, detention, and deadly sea crossings. ■