442 migrants rescued off Libyan coast in past week

 

When NGOs sounded the alarm regarding overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at camps in Libya. [AFP]

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that 442 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya in the past week.

IOM said in a statement that from Feb. 4 to 10, 442 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya, including 68 women and 25 children.

So far this year, a total of 1,004 illegal migrants have been rescued, while 16 died and 73 others went missing off the Libyan coast.

In 2023, the total number of rescued and returned stood at 17,190.

Because of the insecurity and chaos in the country since the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, many migrants, mostly Africans, chose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores from Libya.