TRIPOLI, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Libyan Coast Guards on Friday rescued 113 illegal migrants, including women and children, off the country's western coast.
The immigrants were rescued off the coast of the city of Khoms, some 120 km east of the capital Tripoli, said a report by al-Wasat news site.
The rescued migrants are of different African nationalities, and include 19 women and six children. They were provided with humanitarian assistance and handed over to the anti-illegal immigration department in Tripoli.
Due to the state of insecurity and chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Libya became a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean toward European shores.
Migrant shelters in Libya are crowded with thousands of migrants who were rescued at sea or arrested by Libyan security services.
