100 migrants missing in Libya boat capsize

Tripoli [Libya], June 29 (ANI): At least 100 migrants and refugees are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya, the coastguard said on Friday.

The missing migrants are feared to be dead. The Libyans, however, managed to rescue 14 migrants from the group, as per several media reports.

The boat capsized east of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

"Libya, with its weak central government and proximity to Italian territory, is increasingly becoming the preferred option for many refugees despite the dangers involved in crossing the Mediterranean Sea," reported Al Jazeera.

In 2017 alone, the route from Libya through the Mediterranean to Italy and other European Union states drew approximately 120,000 people.

Meanwhile, a boat packed with migrants aboard sank off the coast of Tunisia in early June claiming 112 lives.

According to the report, around 90 people drowned after a shipwreck off Libya's western coast in February. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI