Cairo, March 30: A ship carrying more than 250 illegal migrants headed for Europe has sunk near the Libyan coast, Egypt`s state news agency MENA said on Monday, with dozens of people feared to have drowned.
Ahmed Rizq, who is responsible for consular affairs at Egypt`s foreign ministry, told MENA that 20 passengers, including six Egyptians, were saved by Libyan rescue workers.
The ship sank some 30 kilometres (20 miles) off the coast shortly after setting off from Sidi Bilal, near the capital Tripoli, on Sunday morning, Rizq said. It was not immediately known how many of the 257 passengers had drowned.
At least 40 people drowned after a boat carrying illegal migrants from Libya to Italy capsized in June 2008.
Italy announced on Monday that it will soon launch joint sea patrols with Libya aimed at stopping the heavy influx of illegal immigrants using Libya as a transit point.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the patrols will begin on May 15, a day he expects to "mark the end" of illegal migration from North Africa.
His comments came a day after more than 460 illegal immigrants were found off the coasts of Sicily and Lampedusa and another 166 around the Sicilian city of Catania.
Italy and Libya signed a deal in August 2008 under which Tripoli committed itself to reinforce the fight against illegal immigration by taking part in joint sea patrols.
Nearly 37,000 illegal immigrants landed on Italian coasts last year, a 75-percent rise from 2007, according to the interior ministry in Rome.
Bureau Report
