5 bodies of immigrants recovered off Libya's Sirte

TRIPOLI, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Libyan Red Crescent Society on Tuesday recovered five bodies of immigrants off the shore of the city of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli.

The bodies were recovered in Harawa area in eastern Sirte, the Red Crescent Society said.

Libya has become a preferred departure point for illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe because of insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Earlier last December, the Red Crescent said 15 illegal immigrants drowned when their boat capsized off the city of Misurata, some 250 km east of Tripoli.