TRIPOLI, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Libya's Emergency Medicine and Support Center said Saturday that it retrieved 17 bodies of irregular migrants from the shores of the western city of Zwara and nearby areas.

In a statement, the center said 14 of those recovered have been buried in accordance with approved procedures.

Libya has been a major transit point for irregular migrants due to its geographic proximity to Europe and its long Mediterranean coastline.

Zwara, a coastal city in far western Libya about 120 km from Tripoli and near Tunisia, has in recent years become a key departure point for irregular migration toward Europe, especially Italy. ■