On Tuesday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that nearly 1,500 migrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast during the past week.
“In the period of Feb. 2-8, 1,487 migrants were rescued and intercepted at sea and returned to Libya,” IOM tweeted.
In 2021, a total of 1,956 migrants have been rescued, including 185 women and 124 children, IOM said. It added that 20 migrants had died while 67 others remain missing on the central Mediterranean route in 2021.
In 2020, 323 migrants died and 417 others were reported missing, while 11,891 were rescued and returned to Libya, according to IOM.