Vessel with 250 African migrants shipwrecked off the Libyan coast

Immigrants rest this Monday after being rescued by Libyan coastguards near Tripoli. (AFP)

A boat with 250 African migrants sank on Sunday off the coast of Libya, as explained a spokesman for the Navy of the country. The ship sank near Tajoura, east of Tripoli, the capital.

So far, only 36 people have been rescued, according to the spokesman of the Libyan Naval Forces, Ayub Qasem, confirmed this Monday. Among the survivors there are three women, one of them pregnant, and 33 men, according to the spokesman.

“There were a large number of bodies floating. But the lack of resources did not allow us to recover the bodies, especially since it was getting dark yesterday (Sunday). Our priority is to help the survivors,” he added.

According to information available to the maritime authority, there was an explosion in the ship before it sank on Sunday, about 18 kilometers from the coast.

Due to the anarchic situation in Libya, emigration from this country multiplied in recent weeks.