Illegal immigrants drown, missing off Libyan coast

Libyan navy on Saturday said 10 illegal immigrants were rescued and two bodies were recovered on a wooden boat that had carried 22 in total off the country's western coast.

"A 6-meter long wooden boat lost at sea for 12 days has been found. The boat had carried 22 illegal immigrants who departed from the city of Sabratha," the Libyan navy's information office said in a statement.

"There were 12 on the boat when it was found: two dead and 10 alive. The surviving illegal immigrants, including one woman, were rescued by the police and a red crescent team," the statement added.

The navy statement did not reveal details about the fate of the rest who were on the boat.

Libya, particularly the western region, is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe, due to the insecurity in the country since the fall of the late leader Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

Smugglers take advantage of the state of chaos in Libya to send thousands of illegal immigrants in rickety boats to Europe, many of whom drown on the way.