Abdel-Latif Mohammed said the coast guard found the damaged rubber boat early Sunday off the shores of al-Qarbouli, 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Tripoli. The coast guard has not yet confirmed the number of deaths but estimated the boat carried at least 100 people.

Last week at least 100 African migrants, including five children, drowned in the same area.

Libya has grown increasingly lawless since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, making it a migration hub for sub-Saharan Africans seeking a better life. Scores are killed every year on the dangerous journey to Europe.