Tripoli, Sep 3 : The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that 979 migrants were intercepted and returned off the coast of Libya in the past week.

"From 25 to 31 August 2024, 979 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya," IOM said in a statement on Monday.

The migrants included 74 women and 33 children, IOM said, adding that seven bodies of migrants were recovered, and eight others went missing off the Libyan coast, reports Xinhua news agency.

A total of 15,117 migrants have been intercepted this year, while 434 died and 611 others went missing off the coast, it said.

According to IOM, 17,190 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya in 2023.

Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the ensuing instability in Libya has led many migrants, primarily from Africa, to attempt perilous crossings of the Mediterranean Sea in hopes of reaching Europe.

/IANS