(VOVworld) - A Libyan coastguard official on Thursday said close to 100 migrants were feared missing after their boat sank off the Libyan coast near Tripoli.

The rescue force rescued migrants off the Libyan coast on November 4 (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

Coastguard spokesman Ayoub Qassem said 23 migrants were rescued from the craft off Gargaresh, a western suburb of Tripoli. He said the boat's hull was completely destroyed and the survivors, all men, were found clinging to a flotation device.

Those who had disappeared were "probably dead", but bad weather had so far prevented the recovery of their bodies.

More than 24,000 migrants arrived in Italy from Libya during the first three months of the year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Libya has become a key departure point for refugees. More than 150,000 have made the crossing from Libya to Italy in each of the past three years.