Two cargo ships have rescued migrants off Libya and are taking then to Sicily, the AGI news agency has reported.

The Maltese-registered oil tanker Patroclus, picked up 97 migrants from a boat some 40 miles off the Libyan coast

Another group of 76 migrants was rescued by an Italian coast guard vessel about 40 miles from Tripoli and then transferred to the MV Cdry White.

The ships, which were acting on instructions of the Italian rescue authorities, are sailing to Trapani and Pozzallo in Sicily to disembark the migrants.

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