Tripoli, Jun 13 (IANS): The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that more than 4,200 migrants and refugees have been rescued at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard so far this year.

"As of June 10, 4,231 refugees and migrants have been rescued or intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard and disembarked in Libya in 2020," UNHCR said on Friday.

The commission said that there are more than 2,000 refugees and migrants currently held in detention centres in Libya, reports Xinhua news agency.

UNHCR also said that 48,834 refugees and asylum-seekers were registered with the commission in Libya.

Due to the state of insecurity and chaos in Libya since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya became a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean sea towards European shores.

Shelters in Libya are crowded with migrants either rescued at sea or arrested by the authorities, despite international calls to close those centres.