UN refugee agency: Major rise in migrants stopped off Libya

NEW YORK, Feb 8 (MENA) - The UN refugee agency said Friday that the total number of migrants intercepted by the Libyan coast guard in the past month rose 121 percent from the same period last year, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

The UNHCR said in January alone, it registered 1,040 refugees and migrants the coast guard stopped and brought back to Libyan shores, a dramatic increase from the 469 rescued that month the year before.

The UNHCR classified the population as 70 percent men, 18 percent women and 12 percent children.