UNHCR says up to 150 people may have died in shipwreck off Libya

Up to 150 people are feared to have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, while another 150 were rescued and are being returned to Libya, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Thursday.

Libya is a hub for migrants, many of whom try to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats. UNHCR and other U.N. 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.

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