557 Illegal Migrants Rescued Off Libyan Coast In Past Week

TRIPOLI, Jun 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Jun, 2021 ) :The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday that 557 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week.

In 2021, a total of 10,771 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while 188 died and 487 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the IOM.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.