Ten bodies were spotted near a capsized rubber &nbsp;boat&nbsp;off&nbsp;the coast of&nbsp;Libya&nbsp;on Thursday, which had around&nbsp;130&nbsp;people&nbsp;aboard, a rescue charity said.

European humanitarian group SOS Mediterranee said it was alerted on Tuesday, by the volunteer-run Mediterranean rescue hotline Alarm Phone, to the presence of three boats in distress in international waters&nbsp;off&nbsp;Libya.

The&nbsp;NGO's Ocean Viking ship, as well as merchant vessels, headed to the area in difficult conditions, with up to six-metre waves.

"Since we arrived on scene today, we have not found any survivors while we could see at least ten bodies in the vicinity of the wreck. We are heartbroken," said Luisa Albera, search and rescue coordinator&nbsp;aboard&nbsp;Ocean Viking.

On Wednesday, the Ocean Viking spent all day searching for a wooden&nbsp;boat&nbsp;in distress, with no success. The fate of the 40 people onboard remains unknown.

&nbsp;Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Over 1,500 migrants ‘rescued’ off Libya coast in week">Over 1,500 migrants ‘rescued’ off Libya coast in week</a>

"There is no hope of finding any survivors," French journalist Emmanuelle Chaze told AFP by phone from onboard the rescue ship, adding that "many bodies" had been spotted.

Last week the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that at least 41 people, including a child, died after a&nbsp;boat&nbsp;carrying African migrants to Europe sank&nbsp;off&nbsp;Tunisia.

Over 450 migrants have perished in the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the IOM, most attempting to reach Europe from Tunisia or&nbsp;Libya.

Ten bodies were spotted near a capsized rubber boat off the coast of Libya on Thursday, which had around 130 people aboard, a rescue charity said. European humanitarian group SOS Mediterranee said it was alerted on Tuesday, by the volunteer-run Mediterranean rescue hotline Alarm Phone, to the presence of three boats in distress in international waters off Libya.

Ten bodies were spotted near a capsized rubber boat off the coast of Libya on Thursday, which had around 130 people aboard, a rescue charity said. European humanitarian group SOS Mediterranee said it was alerted on Tuesday, by the volunteer-run Mediterranean rescue hotline Alarm Phone, to the presence of three boats in distress in international waters off Libya. The NGO's Ocean Viking ship, as well as merchant vessels, headed to the area in difficult conditions, with up to six-metre waves. "Since we arrived on scene today, we have not found any survivors while we could see at least ten bodies in the vicinity of the wreck. We are heartbroken," said Luisa Albera, search and rescue coordinator aboard Ocean Viking. On Wednesday, the Ocean Viking spent all day searching for a wooden boat in distress, with no success. The fate of the 40 people onboard remains unknown. Also read: Over 1,500 migrants ‘rescued’ off Libya coast in week "There is no hope of finding any survivors," French journalist Emmanuelle Chaze told AFP by phone from onboard the rescue ship, adding that "many bodies" had been spotted. Last week the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that at least 41 people, including a child, died after a boat carrying African migrants to Europe sank off Tunisia. Over 450 migrants have perished in the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the IOM, most attempting to reach Europe from Tunisia or Libya.

Migrant boat with 130 aboard capsizes off Libya: NGO

Air force units of Libya&#39;s unity government launched an operation Saturday to cut off potential escape routes for jihadists holed up in the coastal city of Sirte, loyalist forces said. 
 
The forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA), on their Facebook page, said the surveillance operation covered central Libya as well as the western region up to the border with Tunisia. 
 
Pro-GNA forces, backed since early August by US air strikes, began an assault in mid-May to expel the Islamic State (IS) group from its Sirte stronghold. 
 
They fought their way into Sirte on June 9, and have since faced a barrage of sniper fire, suicide bombings and booby traps, but have pinned down the jihadists in a downtown area near the sea. 
 
More than 350 pro-GNA fighters have been killed and nearly 2,000 wounded in the battle, according to medical sources. Islamic State casualties figures are unavailable.&nbsp;Sirte itself has been emptied of its residents, apart from families of Islamic State militants, according to the pro-GNA forces. 
 
Pentagon spokesman Gordon Trowbridge in mid-August estimated that jihadist fighters in Sirte numbered fewer than 1,000. 
 
(AFP)

Pentagon spokesman Gordon Trowbridge in mid-August estimated that jihadist fighters in Sirte numbered fewer than 1,000

Air force units of Libya's unity government launched an operation Saturday to cut off potential escape routes for jihadists holed up in the coastal city of Sirte, loyalist forces said. The forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA), on their Facebook page, said the surveillance operation covered central Libya as well as the western region up to the border with Tunisia. Pro-GNA forces, backed since early August by US air strikes, began an assault in mid-May to expel the Islamic State (IS) group from its Sirte stronghold. They fought their way into Sirte on June 9, and have since faced a barrage of sniper fire, suicide bombings and booby traps, but have pinned down the jihadists in a downtown area near the sea. More than 350 pro-GNA fighters have been killed and nearly 2,000 wounded in the battle, according to medical sources. Islamic State casualties figures are unavailable. Sirte itself has been emptied of its residents, apart from families of Islamic State militants, according to the pro-GNA forces. Pentagon spokesman Gordon Trowbridge in mid-August estimated that jihadist fighters in Sirte numbered fewer than 1,000. (AFP)

Libya pro-government forces launch air operation to cut off Islamic State's escape

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Migrant boat with 130 aboard capsizes off Libya: NGO

Libya pro-government forces launch air operation to cut off Islamic State's escape