Irish Navy rescues 242 off wooden boat in Mediterranean

The L.E. Samuel Beckett has completed its first search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean.

242 people were rescued from a wooden boat 80 kilometres north west of Tripoli.

The Irish navy vessel has just started operations in the region, replacing the L.E. Niamh.

The crew of .@defenceforces LE Samuel Beckett have rescued 242 people from a wooden craft 80km NW of Tripoli pic.twitter.com/aa7oYP9LVo

— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) October 5, 2015

Today's operation has brought to nearly 7,400 the number of people rescued by the three Irish navy vessels deployed since the summer.