Libya has recovered 82 bodies washed ashore after a boat packed with migrants sank near the western town of Zuwara, Reuters quoted a Red Crescent official as saying on Friday.

'About 100 people are still missing,' said Ibrahim al-Attoushi, the Red Crescent official, adding that about 198 migrants had been rescued.

The boat sank on Thursday after leaving Zuwara, a major launch pad for smugglers shipping migrants from sub-Saharan Africa or Syria to Italy.

Source: SPA