Tripoli  - At least 150 illegal immigrants drowned when their boat capsized an hour after it sailed from Libya on its way to Italy, an Egyptian diplomat in Libya said Monday.

The accident is believed to have occurred over two weeks ago.

A man from Egypt and another from Bangladesh survived and are now in Libyan custody, the Egyptian Consul in the Libyan capital Tripoli, Adham Hilal, said in remarks carried by the Egyptian state news agency MENA. (dpa)