At least 160 migrants drowned in Mediterranean in one week: IOM

At least 160 migrants have drowned off Libya's coast after their boats sank over the past week, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.

"During the past week, at least 160 lives were lost in the Central Mediterranean, off the coast of #Libya," said Safa Msehli, spokesperson for the Geneva-based UN agency.

"Nearly 1,500 migrants drowned on this route this year," she wrote on Twitter.

The IOM said that 466 migrants were intercepted or rescued at sea and returned to Libya between December 12 and 18.

Libya, which plunged into civil war following the 2011 toppling and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, has become a key route for migrants seeking to reach Europe.