It is feared that around 100 migrants who were aboard a boat off the coast of Libya have drowned. A coastguard official said only 14 survivors were rescued, the Reuters news agency reports. The vessel appears to have got into trouble in waters to the east of the capital, Tripoli, but exactly what happened is not yet clear.
Many migrants from Africa and elsewhere set out from Libya in dangerously overcrowded boats as they attempt to reach Europe. The latest drownings come as the EU leaders agreed, after marathon talks at a summit in Brussels, that secure centres for migrants may be set up in EU states to process asylum claims.
They also agreed an ambitious partnership with Africa, offering incentives to North African countries to host facilities where migrants can be assessed for resettlement in Europe.
However getting North African countries to host such centres could be very difficult and Morocco again on Thursday rejected the idea. BBC
