100 people feared drowned as boat sinks off Libya

About 100 people are feared to have drowned off the coast of Libya after their smuggler abandoned them on the high seas without a motor, increasing the Mediterranean death toll this year to an unprecedented 4,700.

A boat containing about 130 refugees sank in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing about 100 people, some of the 27 survivors told Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the medical charity now transporting them to Italy.

The 27 survivors were picked up by a rescue ship, the Bourbon Argos, MSF tweeted.

The 27 men now on board the #Argos were on board a boat carrying 130 #people. They are the only survivors. This tragedy is just unbareable. pic.twitter.com/vWLaGoUCzt

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) November 17, 2016

Seven bodies were reportedly recovered.

The inflatable boat sank after smugglers returned to land with its engine and the migrants’ lifejackets, several survivors told the charity.

This week's migrant death toll at sea now stands at more than 340 people, according to Malta-based charity MOAS.

The Guardian reported that the toll is now over 20% higher than last year’s total of 3,771, which was the previous annual record.

The high death rate is partly due to unusually high migration flows from Libya in October and November, months when departures usually tail off due to worsening weather, it reported.

While migration levels between Turkey and Greece have fallen significantly since March, after Turkey agreed to readmit people deported from Greece, crossings between Libya and Italy continue unabated. Over 167,000 people have reportedly reached Italy so far this year from north Africa, and the final annual total is likely to surpass the previous record of 170,000, the Guardian added.