More than 100 people missing in Med: Libya

More than 100 migrants are missing after a shipwreck off the coast of western Libya, the Libyan navy said yesterday.

Rescuers found at least seven survivors on Wednesday after they had remained for three days at sea, navy spokesman Ayub Kassem said, without providing further details.

The shipwreck occurred off the town of Sabratha, a hub for illegal migration to Europe that has seen violent clashes between rival armed groups since Sunday.

Last week, Libya's coastguard rescued more than 3,000 migrants aiming to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, while Italy picked up another 2,000, reported AFP.

Though the numbers attempting the dangerous voyage have dropped off significantly in recent months, the rescues indicate the route is still very much open.

The tally was the highest reported out of Libya for a one-week period since a dramatic fall in numbers in mid-July.

Meanwhile, a powerful armed group, known for smuggling people from Libya, is seeking legitimacy and state security jobs from the Tripoli government in exchange for stopping migrant boats from leaving the coast of Sabratha for Italy, a senior group member said.

The group, the Anas al-Dabbashi brigade, struck a deal with Libya's United Nations-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) this summer to clamp down on trafficking, the senior brigade member, who gave his name as Mohamed, told Reuters.

The need for the GNA to strike such a deal would illustrate the power of armed groups in western Libya, which continue to hold the real influence locally as they have since a 2011 uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi.