GENEVA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan Coast Guard reported Wednesday that up to 100 migrants remained missing in the third deadly shipwreck on the Mediterranean Sea since Saturday, the International Organization for Migration reported.

It said that barely a week into the new year there are reports of close to 200 migrants or refugees dead or missing on the Central Mediterranean route.

It noted that by contrast, IOM recorded just 26 migrant deaths on the Mediterranean Sea lanes during December 2017, at a time when Mediterranean migrants' deaths were dropping sharply.

IOM had reported on Tuesday that a total of 81 Mediterranean Sea deaths of migrants or refugees were recorded in the first eight days of the year.

In the latest incident this year, on Jan. 9, three rubber boats carrying 279 migrants (19 women, 243 men, 13 boys and four girls) were rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard, in a rescue operation lasted at least 12 hours.