150 migrants feared to be dead in Libya shipwreck - report

150 migrants are feared to have been died in a large shipwreck off the coast of Libya, according to reports. While other 150 are reported to have returned to Libyan shore.

🚨Happening now:Tragic news of a deadly shipwreck off the coasts of Al Khoms. Initial reports indicate that over 100 persons may have lost their lives while other 140 have been rescued & disembarked, receiving medical & humanitarian assistance by UNHCR partner IMC.

— UNHCR Libya (@UNHCRLibya) July 25, 2019

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi has called the incident "the worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year". He called for "restoring rescue at sea, ending refugee and migrant detention in Libya, increasing safe pathways out of Libya."

The worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year has just occurred. Restoring rescue at sea, ending refugee+migrant detention in Libya, increasing safe pathways out of Libya must happen NOW, before it is too late for many more desperate people. https://t.co/XuZJpDtZfv

— Filippo Grandi (@RefugeesChief) July 25, 2019

The ship left Libya from Al Khoms, a town 120 km east of Tripoli. There were around 300 people traveling 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 the Libyan coastguard. If confirmed, the number of dead would be the highest for a shipwreck in the Mediterranean this year.

Libya is a hub for migrants, many of whom try to reach Europe in boats that are not strong enough to sail through the sea. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other United Nations agencies have repeatedly called for survivors not to be returned to Libya, a conflict zone where rescued migrants and refugees are routinely jailed in inhumane conditions.