TRIPOLI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday that 131 illegal immigrants have been rescued off Libya's western coast.
"Some 131 migrants were returned to Libya this morning by the coast guard. Among them were 13 minors," IOM tweeted.
"IOM teams were at the disembarkation point in Tripoli to provide emergency assistance to the migrants," IOM said.
Because of the state of insecurity and chaos Libya has been suffering since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, the North African country has become a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe.
According to the IOM, more than 6,100 illegal immigrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya so far in 2020, while last year saw 9,225.
Immigrant shelters in Libya are overcrowded with migrants despite repeated international calls to close them. Enditem
