Tripoli, Feb 9 (IANS): The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that at least 1,487 illegal migrants were rescued off Libyan coast in the past week.

"In the period of February 2-8, 1,487 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," the IOM said on Monday.

So far this year, a total of 1,956 illegal migrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast, including 185 women and 124 children, Xinhua news agency quoted the UN body as saying.

The IOM also said that 20 illegal migrants died, while 67 others went missing on the Central Mediterranean route in 2021.

According to the IOM, 11,891 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast in 2020, compared with 9,225 in 2019.

The UN agency also said that 316 migrants died and 417 others went missing on the Central Mediterranean route last year, compared with 270 migrants dead and 992 missing in 2019.

Thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans, chose to cross the Mediterranean from Libya towards Europe, due to the state of insecurity and chaos in the North African nation following the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Immigrant shelters in Libya are crowded with thousands of immigrants either rescued from the sea or arrested by the Libyan security forces, despite international calls to close those centres.

According to the UNHCR, there are currently 44,725 registered refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya.