Another shipwreck claims 7 lives off Libyan coast

Seven illegal immigrants died on Sunday when a boat sank off of Libya's al-Khoms coast, according to the Libyan red crescent.

Reports have been received about seven bodies of illegal immigrants that washed ashore in Al-Khoms city, said Mohamed Al-Misrati, spokesman of the Libyan red crescent.

No further details about the number of the immigrants on board are available, said Al-Misrati.

The tragedy comes after a boat sank on Thursday off of Western Libya's Zuwarah coast with 400 migrants on board while on its way to Europe. Nearly 200 illegal immigrants are feared dead.

Over 100 bodies washed ashore, including women and children, and 198 migrants have been rescued, according to the Libyan coast guards.

Libya has fallen in a state of anarchy and insecurity since the fall and death of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the north African country a preferred point of transit for immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that around 150,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea by mid July in 2015, many of whom departed from Libya.

Source: XINHUA