BENGHAZI — Twenty-three people, including two children and a women, were killed when a truck transferring illegal immigrants overturned in the early hours of Wednesday in Bani Walid, 230 km away from east of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
A medical source told Al Arabiya.net that 35 injured people were transferred to health centers in Bani Walid while others with more severe injuries were transferred to hospitals. According to a security source, the truck which was transferring more than 150 immigrants was coming from the south to a center involved in human trafficking when it overturned. He added that 127 people survived.
Citizens and charities provided aid to the survivors given the weak capabilities of the apparatus that fights illegal immigration in the city, the source also said, adding that most of those who were on the truck were Somalis and Eritreans. The head of a hospital, Salah Al-Mabrouk, said several victims were even being treated on the ground. Since the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, chaos-wracked Libya has become a key gateway for migrants trying to reach Europe, often on unseaworthy vessels. Bani Walid is a hub for smugglers to bring migrants from Libya's southern sub-Saharan neighbors to the coast from where they are shipped by boat to Italy. — Agencies