Boat carrying 60 migrants capsizes off Lebanese coast, 1 died

The boat capsized shortly after leaving the northern coastal town of Qalamoun near Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city.

The Lebanese Red Cross said on social media that a boat with about 60 people on board sank near the port of Tripoli on Saturday. Several ambulances were sent to the port.

“The (Lebanese) army was able to get to the sunken boat and has started to evacuate passengers,” the Lebanese law enforcement source told Sputnik.

According to the source, most of the passengers are Syrian citizens.

According to local media reports, at least 45 people have already been rescued from the sunken boat; one child has died.

The Lebanese prime minister’s office said that the boat had illegally left the port of Qalamoun, located near Tripoli. According to media reports, the migrants were trying to illegally reach the coast of Cyprus.