The bodies of three babies were recovered and around 100 people were missing after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Libya on Friday, survivors and the coastguard said.

About 120 migrants were aboard the inflatable dinghy at the time, survivors brought ashore in Al-Hmidiya east of the capital Tripoli told AFP.

The Libyans managed to rescue 16 migrants from the group Friday and recovered the bodies of three children.

Coast guard spokesman Ayoub Gassim quoted a Yemeni survivor as saying the boat carried around 120-125 migrants, including women and children, before it capsized.

The Libyan coast guard also intercepted three smuggling boats carrying around 345 migrants east of Tripoli.

Libya is the main departure point for most migrants trying to reach Europe. More than 1,000 people have drowned or gone missing in the Mediterranean already this year.

The deaths came as EU leaders came to an agreement on how to deal with unauthorised migration following marathon talks overnight in Brussels.

The 28 leaders agreed to consider setting up "disembarkation platforms" outside the bloc, most likely in North Africa, in a bid to discourage migrants boarding EU-bound smuggler boats.

No third country has so far offered to host these reception centres, where authorities would distinguish between irregular migrants and asylum seekers admissible into the EU.