TRIPOLI, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday that 620 migrants were intercepted off the coast of Libya in the past week.
"From 18 to 24 May 2025, 620 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya," IOM said in a statement, adding that among the migrants were 51 women and 33 children.
So far this year, 9,285 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya, while 160 migrants died and 234 others went missing on the central Mediterranean route, according to IOM data.
Because of the insecurity and chaos in the country since the fall of its late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, many migrants, mostly Africans, chose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores from Libya. ■
