CAIRO (AP) — An international rights group says Libyan authorities have forcibly removed dozens of migrants who had barricaded themselves in a container ship in the port city of Misrata for the past 10 days after being picked up at sea.

The migrants had refused to disembark, saying Libya is too dangerous for them.

Human Rights Watch says Wednesday some migrants were taken to hospital late Tuesday while others were taken to a detention center in Misrata.

The migrants were attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe and were rescued by a cargo ship, Nivin, that brought them to Libya.

Judith Sunderland of HRW says "this is the worst possible conclusion to the desperate plea of the people on board the Nivin to avoid inhuman detention in Libya."