Tripoli, Aug 31 (IANS): More than 1,000 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast over the past week, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

"In the period of August 22-28, 1,131 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," IOM said.

The Organization said that a total of 23,550 illegal migrants, including women and children, were rescued and returned to Libya, Xinhua news agency reported.

It added that 446 illegal migrants have died and 648 others gone missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route so far this year.

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

Up to 90 per cent of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe depart from Libya.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centres across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close them.

There are currently 223,949 internally displaced Libyans, according to the UNHCR.