50 die as boat carrying about 60 people capsizes

At least 50 migrants are feared dead or missing after a boat carrying about 60 people capsized off the eastern coast of Libya while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, authorities have said.

The vessel overturned on Tuesday near Bardaa Island, off the coastal city of Tobruk, according to the Coast Guard in eastern Libya.

Officials said 10 passengers, including some women and children, survived by swimming to Bardaa Island. Search and rescue operations were still ongoing as authorities continued efforts to locate the remaining passengers.

The latest disaster is another in a series of deadly shipwrecks involving migrants departing from Libya, a major transit hub for people seeking to reach Europe in search of safety and better economic opportunities.

Just last month, another migrant boat sank off eastern Libya, leaving 51 people dead or missing.

Since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, Libya has remained politically unstable, making it a key departure point for migrants fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty across Africa and the Middle East.

Human traffickers frequently load migrants onto overcrowded and unseaworthy boats for the dangerous Mediterranean crossing, a route that has claimed thousands of lives over the years and remains one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors.