About 60 migrants have been rescued by a commercial ship off Libyan coast, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Saturday.

“Some 60 migrants picked up by a commercial ship were returned to Tripoli,” IOM tweeted.

More than 300 immigrants, including women and children, have been rescued off Libyan coast over the past few days, IOM said.

“IOM is onsite providing assistance and reiterates the need for a safe and predictable disembarkation mechanism in the Mediterranean.” IOM added.

Libya has become a preferred point of departure for thousands of immigrants, mostly Africans, who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards European shores, due to the insecurity and chaos that have plagued Libya since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

According to IOM, more than 110,000 migrants made their way to Europe through the Mediterranean in 2019, while 1,283 died on the way.

IOM has repeatedly stressed that Libya is not a safe port for disembarkation of migrants, due to the deteriorating security conditions in the country.