World News | Boat Carrying Europe-bound Migrants Capsizes off Libyan Coast, Leaving 1 Dead and 22 Missing

Cairo, Sep 3 (AP) A boat carrying Europe-bound migrants capsized off the Libyan coast Tuesday, leaving one person dead and 22 missing, Libyan authorities said.

The coast guard in the eastern Libyan town of Tobruk said the boat was carrying 32 migrants and that nine have been rescued. Survivors are being taken to a port in Tobruk, the coast guard said.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates New Chancery of Indian High Commission in Brunei's Bandar Seri Begawan Amid 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' Chants, EAM Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval Also Present (Watch Video).

The shipwreck was the latest sea tragedy off the North African nation which has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

Libya was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Also Read | Who Is Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah? All You Need To Know About Brunei's Wealthy Monarch Who Invited PM Narendra Modi.

Human traffickers in recent years have benefited from the disorder, smuggling in migrants across Libya's extensive borders, which it shares with six nations. The migrants are crowded onto ill-equipped vessels, including rubber boats, and set off on risky sea voyages. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)