A Libyan coast guardsman stands on a boat during the rescue of 147 illegal immigrants attempting to reach Europe off the coastal town of Zawiyah, 45 kilometers west of Tripoli..More than 8,000 migrants have been rescued in waters off Libya during the past 48 hours. File photo: AFP

 
An immigration reception center in the southern Libyan city of Kurfa on Thursday announced the deportation of 140 illegal immigrants to their home countries.

"140 illegal immigrants of the center have been deported to Chad and Sudan," the center said in a statement.

The illegal immigrants have been deported in coordination with the governments of their home countries, the statement said.

Thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe from Libya as the country has been mired in insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

According to the International Organization for Migration, over 600,000 illegal immigrants are in Libya, "many of whom are in need of assistance especially as conflict continues."

Shelters in Libya are crowded with thousands of migrants rescued at sea or arrested by the Libyan security services, despite international calls to close those centers.