90 migrants die after boat is damaged

MORE than 90 migrants are believed to be dead after their rickety boat was damaged shortly after leaving the Libyan coast, officials say.

Navy spokesman Ayoub Gassim said the coastguard has rescued 29 survivors, who said the plastic boat ripped and began filling with water about 26 miles off the Libyan coast, in international waters.

He said that a total of 126 migrants were in the boat, mostly African nationals.

The migrants left Tajoura, in western Libya, before dawn on Wednesday, and the coast guard received a call for help around 3pm local time.

The death toll for migrants in the Mediterranean has reached at least 3,800 this year so far, making 2016 the deadliest year for migrants in the Mediterranean.