The UN has confimed that 300 people are missing, presumed dead, after their boats sank in the Mediterranean.

Refugee agency the U.N.H.C.R says the victims were migrants and refugees mainly from Sub-Saharan Africa who had left the coast of Libya in four dinghies.

The death toll is more than three times ealier estimates.

The UNHCR is calling for a strong search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean to prevent further tragedies.

Jody Clarke is External Relations Officer with organisation: