UN, coast guard say boat with 50 migrants capsizes off Libya

CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency and Libya's coast guard say a boat carrying at least 50 Europe-bound migrants has capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.

Coast guard spokesman Ayoub Gassim tells The Associated Press that the shipwreck took place off the western city of Misrata.

He did not provide details and said rescuers are on their way to the site.

Alarm Phone, an independent support group for people crossing the Mediterranean, says "about 56 lives at risk."

The group said it received a call from migrants on the boat, who left Libya's shores days ago, saying that "they are desperately calling for help and are afraid to die."

Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the uprising that toppled and killed Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.