Cairo, Dec 17 (AP) A boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people — including women and children — dead, the U.N. migration agency said. Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The country is a major launching point for migrants trying to reach the European shores through the deadly central Mediterranean. Human traffickers in recent years have benefited from the chaos in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the country's lengthy borders, which it shares with six nations. The abuse often accompanies attempts to extort money from the families of those held, before the imprisoned migrants are allowed to leave Libya on traffickers' boats to Europe.

Source: Libya Today December 17, 2023 20:04 UTC