The authorities in Libya have forcibly removed more than 90 migrants who had refused to disembark from a cargo ship that had rescued them before docking in Misrata port, east of the capital, Tripoli, Libya's coastguard says.

A UK journalist who focuses on migration said a member of the Libyan coastguard said the vessel was now empty.

The commander of the central region coastguards, Tawfiq Esskair, told the Reuters news agency the operation was ordered by Libya's attorney general.

The migrants had been rescued by the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship 10 days ago as their boat sank in the Mediterranean.

When the ship arrived at shore, 14 of them left the willingly but 92 others refused to leave.

"A joint force raided the cargo ship and used rubber bullets and tear gas to force [them off the ship]," Mr Esskair said.

Those injured in the operation were now "in good condition" after treatment in hospital, and all had been taken to a detention centre in Misrata, he said.

Libya is a major transit centre for smugglers attempting to take undocumented migrants to Europe.

But since last year, heavy pressure from Italy - often the first port of arrival - has disrupted smuggling networks and forced charity rescue ships to stop operations.