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| Migrant boat wrecked off Libya | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A boat packed with more than 250 migrants heading for Europe illegally has sunk off the coast of Libya, reports from Libya and Egypt say. | |
| Libyan officials say that at least 21 people died and about 20 were rescued but there is no word about the other people on board. | |
| There are unconfirmed reports that a second boat, carrying more than 300 people, also sank in the same area. | |
| Tens of thousands of migrants attempt to reach Europe by sea every year. | |
| The vessel carrying more than 250 people ran into difficulties shortly after setting off from Sidi Bilal, near Libya's capital, Tripoli. | |
| An Egyptian foreign ministry official said 20 people had been saved by Libyan rescue workers, but dozens of other migrants are feared to have drowned. | An Egyptian foreign ministry official said 20 people had been saved by Libyan rescue workers, but dozens of other migrants are feared to have drowned. |
| A source at Libya's interior ministry said that at least 21 people had drowned and an unknown number were missing. | A source at Libya's interior ministry said that at least 21 people had drowned and an unknown number were missing. |
| In Cairo, Egyptian foreign ministry official Ahmed Rizk said earlier that the boat had sunk some 30km (19 miles) off the Libyan coast because it had a hole in the hull. | In Cairo, Egyptian foreign ministry official Ahmed Rizk said earlier that the boat had sunk some 30km (19 miles) off the Libyan coast because it had a hole in the hull. |
| "Libyan search and rescue operations led to the recovery of the bodies of those who drowned as a result of the accident, among them the bodies of 10 Egyptians," Mr Rizk was quoted as saying by Egypt's Mena news agency. | "Libyan search and rescue operations led to the recovery of the bodies of those who drowned as a result of the accident, among them the bodies of 10 Egyptians," Mr Rizk was quoted as saying by Egypt's Mena news agency. |
| The nationalities of other migrants on the boat were not immediately known. | The nationalities of other migrants on the boat were not immediately known. |
| Unconfirmed reports from Reuters news agency said another boat with 342 migrants aboard had also sunk after leaving Libya. | |
| Libya has become a popular transit point for illegal migrants hoping to start a new life in Europe. | Libya has become a popular transit point for illegal migrants hoping to start a new life in Europe. |
| The BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says that many of the would-be migrants come from Egypt, where there is a high rate of youth unemployment. They usually head for Italy. | |
| At least 40 people drowned when a boat sank while making the crossing last June, our correspondent says. | |
| Italy has announced that it will soon start joint sea patrols with Libya aimed at stopping the heavy influx of illegal migrants. | Italy has announced that it will soon start joint sea patrols with Libya aimed at stopping the heavy influx of illegal migrants. |
| Tens of thousands of Africans make perilous sea journeys to Europe every year. | Tens of thousands of Africans make perilous sea journeys to Europe every year. |