The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday said around 130 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya.
“Some 130 persons were rescued from two boats that capsized at sea and were returned this evening to Tripoli,” UNHCR tweeted.
“Four persons were reported missing. UNHCR & IRC (the International Red Cross) provided medical assistance, food and water to all survivors. Most of them suffered from burns, dehydration and severe fatigue,” UNHCR said.
Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.
So far in 2021, more than 22,000 migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while hundreds of others died or went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
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