More than 200 people feared dead after boat with migrants sinks off Libya

A boat full of migrants is seen next to Swedish ship Poseidon during a rescue operation in the sea off the coast of Libya in this still image taken from an August 26, 2015 video. REUTERS/Swedish Coast Guard Handout via Reuters TV

TRIPOLI: A boat packed with mainly African migrants bound for Italy sank off the Libyan coast on Thursday and officials said up to 200 might have died.

A security official in the western town of Zuwara, from where the overcrowded boat had set off, said there had been around 400 people on board. Many appeared to have been trapped in the hold when it capsized.