Tripoli, September 8 (RHC)-- At least 20 refugees are believed to have drowned at sea during their abortive journey from Libya to Italy. According to reports on Monday, the Italian coastguard managed to save around 170 asylum seekers who had been adrift on a dinghy some 30 nautical miles from the Libyan coast.

The rescued refugees informed the Italian police that at least 20 other asylum seekers had fallen into the sea and died in the course of the doomed trip. Italian officials said the rescued refugees were safely transferred to the small island of Lampedusa, adding that the country’s troops are still continuing the rescue operation in an attempt to find more asylum seekers at the sea.