Tripoli, Apr 2 (IANS): A total of 60,000 illegal immigrants have been voluntarily deported from Libya to their countries of origin since 2015, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement.

"Since 2015, IOM has assisted 60,000 migrants in Libya to return to their country in a safe and dignified manner through the Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) Program," Xinhua news agency quoted the IOM statement as saying.

About 47 per cent of returnees assisted through the VHR program had been in detention centres while the remainder were living in urban settings, the statement added.

The VHR programme is set to arrange the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya to their homeland.

Libya has become a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores.

So far this year, more than 3,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued at sea and returned to Libya, according to IOM.