Up to 150 people are feared drowned after a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, while over 100 were rescued and are being returned to Libya, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency said on Thursday.
The ship left Libya from Al Khoms, a town 120 km east of Tripoli. There were around 300 people travelling, according to the first available accounts from survivors, but it was unclear if one or two vessels were involved.
The survivors were picked up by local fishermen and then returned to the coast by Libyan coastguard, UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley said.
Libyan coast guard spokesman Ayoub Gassim said around 125 migrants had been rescued on Thursday but that dozens of Europe-bound migrants are missing and feared drowned after the rubber boats they were traveling on capsised in the Mediterranean Sea.
Libya is a hub for migrants, many of whom try to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats. UNHCR and other UN agencies have repeatedly called for survivors not to be returned to Libya, a conflict zone where rescued migrants and refugees are routinely jailed in inhumane conditions.
If confirmed, the number of dead would be the highest for a shipwreck in the Mediterranean this year.