The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday said that 598 migrants were intercepted off the coast of Libya in the past week, Paralel.Az reports.

The migrants intercepted during June 30-July 6 period included 46 women and 26 children, the IOM said in a statement on the social media platform X, adding that three bodies were recovered off the Libyan coast.

So far this year, a total of 9,578 migrants have been intercepted, while 399 died and 487 others went missing off the Libyan coast, the IOM said.

In 2023, the total number of migrants intercepted and returned in Libya stood at 17,190, it said.

Since the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the ensuing insecurity and chaos in Libya have prompted many migrants, primarily from Africa, to attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores.