Up to 150 people are feared to have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya

Up to 150 people are feared to have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, while another 150 were rescued and are being returned to Libya, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR has said.

UPDATE: UNHCR and other UN agencies have repeatedly called for survivors not to be returned to Libya, a conflict zone where rescued migrants and refugees are routinely jailed in inhumane conditions.

The ship left Libya from Al Khoms, a town 120km east of Tripoli. There were about 300 people travelling, according to the first available accounts from survivors, but it was unclear if one or two vessels were involved.

The survivors were picked up by local fishermen and then returned to the coast by Libyan coastguard, UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley said.

If confirmed, the number of dead would be the highest for a shipwreck in the Mediterranean this year.

This is a developing story. 

Via Reuters / The Guardian