557 illicit migrants saved off Libyan coast last week

(MENAFN) A number of 557 illicit migrants were saved off the Libyan coast and sent back to Libya last week, stated the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday, Jun. 7. The IOM said that this year, an overall of 10,771 illicit migrants, comprising women and children, have been saved, whereas 188 lost their lives and 487 were reported missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route. Libya has been undergoing insecurity and turmoil since the fall of the former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, turning the North African nation a favored point of departure for illicit migrants who want to traverse the Mediterranean Sea to European coasts. Saved migrants end up in overfull reception centers over Libya, in spite of frequent international calls to shut those centers.