250 people feared dead after shipwrecks in the Mediterranean

Almost 250 people are missing and feared dead following two shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea in recent days, the UN refugee agency said.

UNHCR said one of its partner agencies, the International Medical Corps, reported a shipwreck off the Libyan coast on Sunday in which 163 people are missing and feared dead.

The UN agency said one woman and six men were rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard.

Separately, the agency said some 82 people are missing and feared dead after a rubber dinghy carrying 132 people sank after several hours of sailing.

Some 50 survivors have been rescued and taken to Pozzallo, Sicily.

Overall, UNHCR said on Tuesday that more than 1,300 people have disappeared and are believed to have died while crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Italy this year.