The Libyan Coast Guard rescued 88 migrants off the western coast, the country's anti-illegal immigration department said Monday.
The 88 migrants of different Arab and African nationalities were rescued "on their way to the European Continent illegally," the department said in a statement, adding humanitarian assistance were provided for them.
Following the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been plagued by a state of insecurity and chaos that prompts thousands of migrants to attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe.
According to the International Organization for Migration, thousands of migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya in 2020.
Many migrants, who were either rescued at sea or arrested by authorities, have remained detained in overcrowded centres in Libya despite repeated international calls to close these centres.
SOURCE: Xinhua
