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At least 30 die as boat sinks off Libya coast

Migrants wait in the Italian port city of Catania after being rescued by the Italian coast guard on August 26, 2015. ©AFP

At least 30 people have died as a boat carrying over 200 migrants has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya.

The boat was bound for Europe, AFP quoted the Libyan coast guard as saying on Thursday.

Only between 20 and 30 people have so far been rescued from the broken vessel, authorities said.

A coast guard official said the overcrowded boat capsized off the northwestern port city of Zuwara.

Many of those on board, including women and children, were people from North Africa seeking to escape the continent for a better life. 

This is the second such incident to happen off the coast of Libya in less than 24 hours.

On Wednesday, about 50 people were found dead in the hold of a boat carrying migrants which was intercepted off the coast of Libya by the Italian coast guard.

Thousands of migrants have died and many thousands more have been rescued after setting sail from Libya recently.

Smugglers based in Libya and elsewhere in North Africa are believed to be taking advantage of calmer waters during the summer season to send more vessels filled with migrants towards European shores.


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