UPDATE - People Getting Rescued From Sunken Boat Near Lebanon's Tripoli - Source

CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th April, 2022) The Lebanese military has launched an operation to rescue passengers from a boat that sank off the coast of Lebanon's northern port city of Tripoli, a law enforcement source told Sputnik.

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.

The Lebanese prime minister's office said that the boat had illegally left the port of Qalamoun, located near Tripoli.

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