Libya's coastguard has rescued 297 illegal migrants and recovered two bodies from two boats east of the capital Tripoli.

The two bodies were women. One of them was pregnant. Officials say the two boats were overloaded, which led to the death of the two women. Survivors claim several dozen migrants were unaccounted for and are feared to have drowned. Libya has become a preferred departure point for illegal migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. According to Doctors Without Borders, last year over 3-thousand people died trying to cross from North Africa to Europe.