Dozens of Egyptian and other migrants are feared dead or missing after a boat carrying them sank off the Libyan coast while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, according to Egyptian media reports.

The vessel reportedly departed from the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk on Thursday evening but began sinking just a few kilometres into the journey, prompting passengers to send distress signals.

Sources cited by Egypt’s Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper said strong winds and darkness hampered rescue operations. Six people were rescued, while the fate of the other passengers remained unknown.

Search teams continued operations along the Libyan coast in an effort to locate survivors, find missing migrants and recover bodies.

The exact number of passengers aboard the boat and the confirmed death toll were not immediately known.

According to the report, the migrants had allegedly travelled to Libya through human trafficking networks, which reportedly held them in warehouses before arranging sea crossings to Europe in exchange for money.

Residents of Sindbis village in Egypt’s Qalyubia Governorate told Al-Masry Al-Youm that between 22 and 27 young men from their community were believed to have been aboard the vessel. Young men from neighbouring villages were also reportedly among those who joined the journey.

One resident said the group had left the village about a month earlier, travelling by bus to Alexandria before proceeding towards Libya by sea. Their families reportedly lost contact with them several hours after they boarded the boat.

Most of the missing young men were reportedly under the age of 20 and had been seeking employment opportunities abroad, the resident added.

The latest shipwreck underscores the continuing dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe through irregular Mediterranean crossings from Libya, where dangerous sea journeys and trafficking networks continue to expose migrants to exploitation and loss of life.