One child dies as boat sinks off Lebanese coast

One child has died, but more than 40 people have been saved after the sinking of a boat off the coast of Lebanon's northern port city of Tripoli on Saturday, Transport Minister Ali Hamie told Reuters.

The Lebanese Red Cross said there were about 60 people on board.

The prime minister, Najib Mikati, is following the sinking of a vessel carrying passengers that left the Qalamoun area, south of Tripoli, according to the Lebanese government.

The economic crisis in Lebanon has pushed Lebanese as well as Syrian refugees to try the dangerous sea journey to Europe on small dinghies.

According to the United Nations Habitat programme, Tripoli is Lebanon's second city and the poorest on the Mediterranean.

In a separate incident on Saturday night, a Tunisian security official told Reuters that at least 12 African refugees had died and another 10 were missing after four boats carrying 120 people sank off the Tunisian coast.

98 people were rescued off the coast of Sfax, according to Ali Aayar, a lieutenant colonel in the Tunisian coastguard.