TRIPOLI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday that 454 illegal immigrants were rescued off the Libyan coast over the past week.
"In the period of Sept. 8 to 14, 454 migrants were intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," IOM said.
According to the IOM, 8,435 illegal immigrants, including 572 women and 448 children, have been rescued and returned to Libya so far in 2020, while 178 migrants have died and 222 others gone missing on the Central Mediterranean route in the same period.
In 2019, 9,225 illegal immigrants were rescued and returned to Libya, while 270 migrants died and 992 went missing on the Central Mediterranean route, the IOM said.
Following the 2011 fall of the former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Libya has been plagued by a state of insecurity and chaos that encourages thousands of illegal immigrants to attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe. Enditem
