150 Migrants Die in Shipwreck off Coast of Libya

The UN Refugee Agency has said that 150 people drowned off the coast of Libya after their boat sank.

Another 145 were rescued. Some passengers were rescued by local fisherman and the Libyan coastguard.

Since 2011, and particularly since 2014, instability and the Second Civil War in Libya have made departures from the north-African country to Italy easier, with no central authority controlling Libya's ports and dealing with European countries and migrant smuggling networks flourishing.

Over 600 people have died this year alone crossing the the Mediterranean Sea. Most times migrants will be smuggled to Europe in un-seaworthy vessels.

Most are fleeing war from the Syrian Civil War and economic migrants from the Near East and Africa.