The bodies of more than 100 migrants, including many women and children, were found washed up on a beach in western Libya on Friday in the latest mass drowning in the Mediterranean caused by the on-going migrant crisis.

In some of the most distressing scenes witnessed since the recent summer spike in drownings began this month, the Libyan Red Crescent said that at least 117 bodies had been counted on a beach in the town of Zwara, warning the toll could rise.

"So far, 117 bodies have been found, 70 percent of them women and six children," Khames el-Boussefi, spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent in the western town, told AFP. "We are going out again to search around Zwara and nearby beaches," he said.

Most of the victims were from African countries, the organisation said.