About 100 illegal migrants have been reported as missing off the Libyan coast near Tripoli on Thursday, reported Reuters citing the spokesman of the Libyan Navy forces, Auoyb Qassim.
"23 migrants were rescued from the boat off Gargarish, a western suburb of Tripoli." Qassim told Reuters on Thursday.
According to survivors, the dinghy had set off with about 120 illegal migrants onboard, nearly 97 are still missing, including 15 women and children, Qassim added.
He also explained that reason behind the capsizing of the dinghy is that the base of the boat got wrecked and the boat had sunk.
Libya has become the main jumping off point for illegal immigrants, especially African nationals, to cross the sea toward Europe with over 150,000 immigrants making it from Libya to Italy in each of the past three years.
