TRIPOLI, Jan 28: At least 15 Somali migrants were killed and 40 left missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya this week, the Somali ambassador to Tripoli said on Saturday.

“Fifteen bodies, including one child and 12 women, were recovered off the coast of Misrata after their boat sank,” ambassador Abdelghami Wais said, adding the bodies were found Wednesday on the shore of the western port city.

The boat had been carrying 55 Somalis, Wais said, and the other passengers were still missing. “I’ve just returned from Misrata after the burials,” the envoy said.

The International Organisation of Migration said it was unaware of the accident.

Libya has for decades been a destination and a transit country to European shores for hundreds of thousands of African migrants seeking jobs and a better life.

The ousted regime of slain dictator Muammar Qadhafi used the issue to exert pressure on Europe and asked for five billion euros (more than 6.5 billion dollars) from the European Union last year to stem the flow of illegals.—AFP