Over 100 people are missing a day after a boat carrying illegal migrants sank off the Libyan coast, a Libyan coastguard official said on Thursday.
“The rubber boat tore apart and sank on Wednesday shortly after it left Libya across the Mediterranean Sea en route to Italy,” the official added on condition of anonymity.
He said that 29 people were rescued by the Libyan coastguard, in what is the latest in a series of shipwreck tragedies on the Mediterranean.
The UN refugee agency said that this year has been the deadliest ever for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, with over 3,800 people having drowned.
Libya has descended into chaos since a 2011 uprising that deposed long time autocrat Muammar Gaddafi.
The North African country has since become a major hub for migrants seeking to reach Europe via illegal sea migration routes operated by people-smugglers.
(dpa/NAN)
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