CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s coast guard says it has retrieved at least five bodies from a boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants that capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.
Coast guard spokesman Ayoub Gassim told The Associated Press that at least 65 migrants were rescued on Tuesday, and that search operations are underway for those still missing off the western Libyan town of Khoms.
The U.N. migration agency says there were children among those who drowned.
Alarm Phone, an independent support group for people crossing the Mediterranean, says up to 100 migrants were on board the capsized vessel.
Libya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the uprising that toppled and killed Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Traffickers and armed groups have exploited Libya’s chaos since his overthrow.
