Fifty-five <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rescuers-retrieve-62-migrant-bodies-from-capsized-boat-off-libya-238736">bodies have been recovered so far off the Libyan coast</a>, an aid worker said on Saturday, after a wooden boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized on Thursday.

Search operations are continuing to find other missing migrants, a member of Libyan Red Crescent told Reuters by phone.

It was unclear how many people were on board and how many are still missing and feared to have been drowned after what the UN refugee agency UNHCR described as “the worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year.”

Red Crescent member Abdulmenam Abu Sabay said the boat, which capsized near Komas, some 120 kilometres east of Tripoli, was carrying 350 people, mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Libyan navy on Thursday put the number of migrants on board at 250 and the UNHCR said up to 150 were feared dead.

Libyan coast guards and local fishermen rescued 134 migrants on Thursday.

"We do not have enough capability to carry out our operations. Citizens help us with their own vehicles,” Abu Sabay said.

"The bodies are still in bags in a hangar and we are waiting for security authorities' permission to bury them,” he added. The hangar belongs to a department set up to fight illegal migration.

Libya is a hub for migrants and refugees, many of whom try to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats.

Fifty-five bodies have been recovered so far off the Libyan coast, an aid worker said on Saturday, after a wooden boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized on Thursday.

Fifty-five bodies have been recovered so far off the Libyan coast, an aid worker said on Saturday, after a wooden boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized on Thursday. Search operations are continuing to find other missing migrants, a member of Libyan Red Crescent told Reuters by phone. It was unclear how many people were on board and how many are still missing and feared to have been drowned after what the UN refugee agency UNHCR described as “the worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year.” Red Crescent member Abdulmenam Abu Sabay said the boat, which capsized near Komas, some 120 kilometres east of Tripoli, was carrying 350 people, mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa. The Libyan navy on Thursday put the number of migrants on board at 250 and the UNHCR said up to 150 were feared dead. Libyan coast guards and local fishermen rescued 134 migrants on Thursday. "We do not have enough capability to carry out our operations. Citizens help us with their own vehicles,” Abu Sabay said. "The bodies are still in bags in a hangar and we are waiting for security authorities' permission to bury them,” he added. The hangar belongs to a department set up to fight illegal migration. Libya is a hub for migrants and refugees, many of whom try to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats.

Rescuers retrieve 55 migrant bodies from capsized boat off Libyan coast

Residents of a Libyan town have buried the decomposing bodies of 21 migrants who had washed up on their beach after authorities failed to act, an NGO and medics said today. 
 
The first bodies were spotted on the beach of Al-Maya, just west of the capital Tripoli, on August 2, said a statement from a civil society association in Wersheffana district where Al-Maya is located. 
 
It said in a statement that over the next three days more bodies washed up on the beach, bringing the total to 21, and that they were in an &quot;advanced state of decomposition&quot;. 
 
&quot;The residents became increasingly scared this could spark diseases and epidemics,&quot; it said. 
 
The Libyan Red Crescent in Janzur, a suburb of Tripoli, were informed of the situation and dispatched staff to Al-Maya, said its chief Hussam Nasr. 
 
&quot;We went there to retrieve the bodies and to lift DNA samples,&quot; said Nasr. 
 
&quot;We also tried to get in touch with the authorities to secure a permit to bury the bodies to no avail and the bodies remained on the beach for three days,&quot; he said. 
 
Concerned by the &quot;health hazard&quot; decomposing bodies could pose, residents decided not to wait anymore for an official permit and took matters into their own hands, he said. 
 
On Saturday they buried the unidentified bodies in a cemetery in Al-Maya, where a Muslim funeral service took place. 
 
People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi to boost their lucrative business. 
 
They cram migrants into boats that are small and unsafe for the perilous journey to Italy just 300 kilometres (190 miles) from Libya&#39;s shores. 
 
Thousands of migrants try each year to make the sea crossing but many drown. 
 
A total of 4,027 migrants and refugees have perished since January trying to flee wars and poverty looking for a better life mainly in Europe, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday. 
 
Of that total, some 3,120 died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, including 120 who drowned off Libya&#39;s coastal town of Sabratha at the end of July, it said. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

Residents buried 21 dead bodies washed up on Al-Maya beach that were in 'advanced state of decomposition' after 'authorities failed to act'

Residents of a Libyan town have buried the decomposing bodies of 21 migrants who had washed up on their beach after authorities failed to act, an NGO and medics said today. The first bodies were spotted on the beach of Al-Maya, just west of the capital Tripoli, on August 2, said a statement from a civil society association in Wersheffana district where Al-Maya is located. It said in a statement that over the next three days more bodies washed up on the beach, bringing the total to 21, and that they were in an "advanced state of decomposition". "The residents became increasingly scared this could spark diseases and epidemics," it said. The Libyan Red Crescent in Janzur, a suburb of Tripoli, were informed of the situation and dispatched staff to Al-Maya, said its chief Hussam Nasr. "We went there to retrieve the bodies and to lift DNA samples," said Nasr. "We also tried to get in touch with the authorities to secure a permit to bury the bodies to no avail and the bodies remained on the beach for three days," he said. Concerned by the "health hazard" decomposing bodies could pose, residents decided not to wait anymore for an official permit and took matters into their own hands, he said. On Saturday they buried the unidentified bodies in a cemetery in Al-Maya, where a Muslim funeral service took place. People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi to boost their lucrative business. They cram migrants into boats that are small and unsafe for the perilous journey to Italy just 300 kilometres (190 miles) from Libya's shores. Thousands of migrants try each year to make the sea crossing but many drown. A total of 4,027 migrants and refugees have perished since January trying to flee wars and poverty looking for a better life mainly in Europe, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday. Of that total, some 3,120 died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, including 120 who drowned off Libya's coastal town of Sabratha at the end of July, it said. (AFP)

Libyans bury decomposing bodies of migrants near Tripoli

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Rescuers retrieve 55 migrant bodies from capsized boat off Libyan coast

Libyans bury decomposing bodies of migrants near Tripoli