Forty migrants feared dead after boat capsizes off Libya

Migrants onboard an inflatable boat wait to be rescued off the coast of Libya  in August. AFP

At least 40 Europe-bound migrants were missing and feared drowned on Tuesday after the boat they were travelling in capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya, the coastguard and the UN refugee agency said.

Ayoub Gassim, a spokesman for Libya's coastguard, told The Associated Press that at least five bodies, including that of a child, were recovered near the western town of Khoms, about 120 kilometres east of Tripoli.

He said they rescued at least 65 migrants, mostly from Sudan, and that search operations are under way for those still missing.

Charlie Yaxley, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency, said at least 40 people are estimated to be dead or missing.

Alarm Phone, an independent support group for people crossing the Mediterranean, said up to 100 migrants were on board the capsized vessel.

The group said it received a call from migrants on the boat, who “were in severe distress, crying and shouting, telling us that people had died already.”

Libya’s coastguard says it has intercepted hundreds of migrants at sea so far in August.

Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the uprising that toppled and killed Muammar Qaddafi, in 2011. Traffickers and armed groups have exploited Libya’s chaos since his overthrow.

In recent years, the European Union has partnered with the coastguard and other Libyan forces to prevent migrants from making the dangerous journey by sea to Europe. Rights groups say those efforts have left migrants at the mercy of brutal armed groups or confined in squalid detention centres that lack adequate food and water.

The UN refugee agency says 164 migrants have died travelling from Libya to Europe this year, fewer than in previous years. But the UN says the journey is becoming more dangerous for those who attempt it, with one out of four perishing at sea.

The numbers did not include up to 150 Europe-bound migrants missing and feared drowned when their boats capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya last month.