Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- A boat carrying illegal migrants sank off the coast of Tripoli on Sunday, killing at least 40 people, the spokesman for Libya's Interior Ministry told CNN. Some 50 others were rescued, and an unspecified number remain missing, Rami Kaal said. Kaal did not have information on the specific nationalities of the migrants on the vessel but said Libya is suffering greatly from the "huge number" of illegal migrants in his country. According to the spokesman, most have come from sub-Saharan Africa, neighboring countries like Egypt and Tunisia and, more recently, more have come from Syria. The migrants arrive to board boats headed to European shores, particularly Italy and Malta.
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A boat sank off the coast of Tripoli Sunday killing at least 40 people
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50 others were rescued and an unspecified number remains missing
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The boat was carrying illegal migrants trying to reach Europe
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Libya has asked Europe for help dealing with the "serious problem" of illegal migration
The minister threatened to "facilitate" the passage of migrants and "flood @placeholder" with them unless the countries stepped up and helped Libya.