A boat carrying approximately 170 migrants on board has sunk off the Libyan coast.

It is reported that the Libyan coastguard has currently rescued 17 of those on board, while 20 bodies have been found.

"We found 16 individuals alive, the rest are lost. We are investigating the rest. There were 20 bodies, found dead in the water," Abdel Latif Mohamed Ibrahim, a member of the Libyan coast guard, told Al Jazeera early on Saturday.

The African migrants were believed to on their way to Europe. Libya is currently embroiled in political chaos and migrants are turning to smugglers to help them escape to Europe. Not all of those on board appear to have been Libyans, however, with the coast guard official telling Al Jazeera: “"It seems that among them are Somalis and Eritreans."

Libya’s turbulent political situation has left the government unable to properly monitor its coastline, thereby allowing an easy route for smugglers looking to make their way to Europe.

There have been two notable incidents of migrants travelling from Libya in August. On Thursday last 75 migrants were found, having been drifting at seas for five days aboard an inflatable. The group was attempting to reach Italy and were in a state of extreme fatigue when found.

Earlier this month, Tunisian coastguards 90 African migrants intercepted 90 migrants whose boat, attempting to make the crossing from Libya to Italian island of Lampeduska, broke down off the Tunisian coast.

The rate of boat migrants landing in Italy has risen by 500 percent in the first six months of this year, more than during the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.