At least 19 migrants were killed on Wednesday and around 100 injured when the truck transporting them crashed in Libya, a hospital said.
More than 300 migrants, most of them Eritrean and Somali nationals, were on board of the vehicle which overturned near the town of Bani Walid, said hospital spokesman Salah Hatem Al Twijer.
The migrants were Somalis and Eritreans who had been travelling in a truck packed with migrants, the source said. No more details were immediately available
A child was among those killed, the head of the town's hospital, Salah Al Mabrouk said.
The hospital, which had earlier given a toll of 23 dead, said at least 124 migrants were injured and it was struggling to cope.
"Several victims are even being treated on the ground," Mr Al Twijer said spokesman Salah Al Twijer.
Bani Walid, located south of Tripoli, is a hub for smugglers to bring migrants from Libya's southern sub-Saharan neighbours to the coast from where they travel by boat to Italy.
According to a panel of UN experts in the summary of a report to the Security Council, obtained on Tuesday by The Associated Press, "human trafficking is on the rise in Libya," with the country's west and south main hubs where Libyan and non-Libyan armed groups are earning "significant revenues," the experts said.
They expressed concern at the possible use of state facilities and state funds by armed groups and traffickers "to enhance their control of migration routes."
"International involvement in the migration issue has exacerbated competition between the armed groups," they said.
The panel also cited the continued deterioration of human rights from armed groups committing "arbitrary detentions, kidnappings and other severe violations," including those associated with the UN-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli and the rival self-styled Libyan National Army based in the eastern city of Benghazi and led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter.
Libya plunged into chaos following a 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed longtime dictator Muammar GaddafiMoammar Gadhafi. It is now split between rival governments in the east and the west, each backed by an array of militias.
In December, the United Nations said it was "intensively trying to establish the proper political, legislative and security conditions for elections to be held before the end of 2018."
But the panel painted a grim picture of continuing disarray in the country, saying Libya's stability is increasingly linked to regional stability, "notably due to the growing involvement of foreign armed groups from Sudan and Chad."
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Read more:
Berlusconi says 600,000 migrants are 'ready' to commit crime in Italy
UN concerned over recent killings in east Libyan cities
UN's Libya envoy sounds alarm after militia clashes in Tripoli
How Sputnik V works
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
