7 bodies of immigrants recovered off Libya's Sirte

Libyan Red Crescent Society on Sunday recovered seven bodies of immigrants off the shore of the city of Sirte, local media reported.

The bodies were recovered with the assistance of the Libyan coast guards and will be handed over to the authorities for legal procedures, the Al-Wasat news site reported.

A total of 20 bodies of immigrants have been recovered off Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli, so far this month.

Libya has become a preferred departure point for illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe because of insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Earlier last December, the Libyan Red Crescent said that 15 illegal immigrants drowned when their boat capsized off the city of Misurata, some 250 km east of Tripoli.