TRIPOLI, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement on Tuesday that 276 migrants were intercepted off the coast of Libya in the past week.
"From Sept. 10 to 16, 276 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya," the statement read.
The rescued migrants include 17 women and 11 children, it added.
So far this year, a total of 10,992 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, IOM revealed, adding that 923 died and 1,155 went missing on the central Mediterranean route off the Libyan coast.
In 2022, 32,425 undocumented migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, while 662 died and 891 went missing off the Libyan coast.
Due to the instability and turmoil in the country following the downfall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, many African migrants opted to travel from Libya across the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores. ■
