Bodies of 60 migrants recovered off Libya's western coast

Libyan Red Crescent on Friday recovered 60 bodies of illegal immigrants off the western coast.

"We recovered 60 bodies of immigrants, including women and children, whose boat sank Thursday off the coast of the city of Khoms, some 120 km east of the capital Tripoli," an official of the Libyan Red Crescent old Xinhua.

The boat carried 250 immigrants, said the official on condition of anonymity, pointing out that dozens of more bodies are still on the city's coast.

The UN Higher Commission of Refugees said on Thursday that more than 100 illegal immigrants were missing off Libya's western coast, while 140 others were rescued.

Because of the insecurity and chaos in the North African country, Libya is a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean toward Europe, many of whom drown on the way.