A child died and 45 were rescued when a boat carrying around 60 migrants capsized off the coast of Lebanon on Saturday, 23, officials said.

“About 45 people were rescued and the body of a child” was recovered from the boat that sank off the shores of the northern city of Tripoli, Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamie told local television.

He stated that there were about 60 people on the boat, which aims to remove undocumented immigrants from Lebanon.

“The search continues,” Hamie added.

The Lebanese Red Cross said it had sent 10 ambulances to Tripoli to aid the rescue.

An AFP reporter found that the military had closed the port and only allowed ambulances to enter.

Some passengers’ families gathered to learn more about their relatives, but were denied access.

“This happened because of politicians who forced unemployed Lebanese to leave the country,” said a man waiting outside the port to inquire about a family member.

Most people trying to leave Lebanon irregularly do so by sea and are Syrian refugees.

However, as the country of 6 million is facing a serious economic and political crisis, the number of Lebanese trying to leave the region has increased.

Within two years, Lebanese purchasing power collapsed and the local currency lost more than 95% of its value on the black market.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Lebanon, at least 1,570 people left illegally by sea between January and November 2021, including 186 Lebanese.