(Photo: The United Nations)

TRIPOLI, Sept. 28 - The International Organization for Migrants (IOM) on Friday said it provided more than 500 illegal migrants with humanitarian aid in a detention center, with the support by the European Union Trust Fund (EUTF).

"More than 500 migrants received humanitarian aid in Shuhada AlNasr detention center, with the support of the EUTF. That includes mattresses, summer blankets and hygiene kits, but the needs are far greater," IOM said in a statement.

The organization pledged to "continue to cover the basic needs of people that it witnesses on the ground."

Migrant reception centers in Libya are overcrowded with illegal migrants arrested or rescued at sea by the Libyan authorities.

Libya is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean toward European shores, due to the state of insecurity and chaos in the country following the 2011 uprising that topped former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime.