Shipwreck leaves 150 dead off Libyan coast, UNHCR says

Up to 150 people are feared to have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, the refugee agency UNHCR have said on Thursday while also confirming that a further 150 have been rescued and are being returned to Libya.

This despite UNHCR's call to not return survivors to Libya where conflicts still abound and where rescued migrants are often jailed and mistreated.

A spokesperson for UNHCR said that the ship left Libya from Al Khoms, a town 120 km east of Tripoli. There were around 300 people travelling, according to the first available accounts from survivors, but it was unclear if one or two vessels were involved.

The survivors were picked up by local fishermen and then returned to the coast by Libyan coastguard, UNHCR said.

If confirmed, the number of dead would be the highest for a shipwreck in the Mediterranean this year.