Three babies died, 100 refugees are missing after the boat sank near the coast east of Tripoli

Three babies died and at least 100 refugees were reported missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya on Friday. The Libyan coastguard collected 16 survivors of the boat, just east of the capital, Tripoli, an unidentified official declared Al Jazeera .

Survivors told AFP that the boat had sunk a few hours after its departure before dawn from the town of Castelverde east of Tripoli, after an explosion aboard. The engine caught fire and water began to enter the ship, they said. "I lost all my Yemeni friends who were with me.The missing include two babies and three children under the age of 12."

Fishermen found the ship in trouble and contacted the Libyan coastguard "It was horrible to see," said Salem al-Qadhi, a coast guard captain who reached the scene of the accident.

The Libyan Branch of the International Organization for the UN migrations said on Twitter that 345 refugees have landed the boat and received humanitarian aid in Tripoli.