(VOVworld) - On Saturday, Libyan authorities arrested about 600 illegal migrants from African countries who were planning to sail to Europe.

The belongings of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are displayed at a detention center on May 23, 2015 in Libyan capital Tripoli after they were arrested before boarding Europe-bound boats. (Photo: AFP)

A coastguard official said that the migrants were rounded up during a huge crackdown in the Tripoli region during which telecommunications equipment was also seized.

Hundreds of those who had been rounded up were seen sitting on the ground outside a detention centre in Tripoli, as authorities distributed food and drink.