World Bulletin / News Desk

Around 100 migrants were feared missing after their boat sank near the coast of Tripoli, a Libyan coastguard official said on Thursday.

Libyan naval teams rescued 23 people on Thursday morning but 97 others -- including 15 women and six children of various African nationalities -- remained missing, Libyan navy spokesman Col. Ayoub Qassem said.

Qassem said the rescue operation took place 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Qerqarish area west of Tripoli.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) earlier this year reported over 520 deaths in the Mediterranean as migrants attempted to enter Europe through Italy from the North African coast.