Over 1,000 illegal immigrants rescued off Libyan coast in past week: IOM

TRIPOLI — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday that more than 1,000 illegal immigrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week.

So far, a total of 28,636 illegal immigrants have been rescued this year, while 489 died and 736 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, said the IOM.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

Rescued immigrants were sent to the overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.