1,166 migrants intercepted off Libyan coast in past week: IOM

TRIPOLI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that 1,166 migrants were intercepted and returned off the coast of Libya in the past week.

The migrants include 101 women and 53 children, the IOM said, adding that six bodies of migrants were recovered while 12 others went missing off the Libyan coast.

So far this year, a total of 17,632 migrants have been intercepted, while 466 died and 655 others went missing off the Libyan coast, the IOM 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 crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores.