World Bulletin/News Desk

Three illegal migrants drowned off the coast of Libya on Saturday, while four more migrants were injured.

Libya's coast guards also managed to rescue 104 more migrants who boarded a boat, hoping to reach the Italian coast on the other side of the Mediterranean, according Abdel-Rahman Montasser, a coast guard commander.

He said all 111 migrants boarded a boat and set sail toward the coast of Italy from an area 80 kilometers east of the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Montasser added that the captain of the boat had called the coast guards to report the imminent sinking of the boat.

He said this alert helped the coast guards to rescue the boat passengers before it sank in Libya's territorial waters.

The coast guard commander said the presence of too many people on the boat made its engine break down.

He said most migrants on board of the boat were African nationals.

Libya is a major transit point for African migrants seeking access to Europe, especially Italy, via the Mediterranean Sea.

From March to August of last year, more than 30,000 illegal migrants entered the troubled North African country, according to U.N. estimates.