TRIPOLI, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Libyan authorities on Thursday repatriated 135 Nigerian immigrants within a voluntary repatriation program, an immigration official revealed.

The migrants include women and children, the official said. The immigrants have failed to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe and were rescued offshore by navy vessels.

The repatriation was done in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration to return migrants to their original countries.

The uprising of 2011 in Libya caused chaos and security, which led to massive flows of migrants in the Mediterranean. The International Organization for Migration said thousands of immigrants have reached European shores in 2017 so far, while many others have drowned on the way.

Migrants who are rescued offshore by Libyan coastguards are detained in reception centers with poor conditions. Enditem

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