"Around 60 people have been rescued and returned to shore. At least 40 people are estimated to be dead or missing." reported Charlie Yaxley, a spokesman for UN refugee agency. A spokesman for Libya's coastguard said at least 65 people, mostly from Sudan, had been rescued and reported  that search operations are still continuing. The migrants included people from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, according to Charlie Yaxley.

As a support group, Alarm Phone reported that they had gotten a call from someone on the boat “crying and shouting” that passengers had died.

“If today’s tragic numbers are confirmed, the number of people drowned in the Mediterranean in 2019 will have reached close to 900,” commented Charlie Yaxley who gave the estimate of at least 40 dead or missing, based on eyewitness accounts of the survivors.

The UN refugee agency reported that 164 migrants have died travelling from Libya to Europe this year.

Maritime Business World