An inflatable boat carrying 126 African immigrants capsized off the coast of Libya on Wednesday leaving 97 immigrants dead, the country's Coast Guard has reported.

A patrol of the Coast Guard received an SOS call from Libyan oil tanker Anwaar Al-Khaleej warning about an imminent drowning of  an illegal immigrants' boat.

"The staff onboard the tanker managed to save 29 immigrants while the remaining 97 ones, including 3 women and a child, drowned." The Coast Guard said.

Their bodies were recovered by the oil tanker staff and handed over to the Coast Guard patrol. along with the rescued ones.