TRIPOLI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday said that 5 migrants were killed and 12 others were injured in a traffic accident, as they were being smuggled in the southwestern Libyan city of Sabha.
"Five migrants, and one Libyan national killed in smuggling incident in Sabha, Libya," the IOM tweeted.
A total of "12 others were wounded when their truck crashed into a fuel tanker in Sabha, southwest Libya, late last night. A second Libyan national is among the injured," IOM said.
Thousands of immigrants, mostly Africans, attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe from Libya because of the insecurity and chaos in the North African country since the 2011 uprising that toppled the late leader Muammar Gaddafi.
There are more than 650,000 illegal immigrants currently staying in Libya, including about 6,000 being held in detention centers, the IOM estimated.
So far, no statement has been issued by the Libyan authorities regarding the deadly accident. Enditem
