Updated Jul 3, 2019

Airstrike hits migrant detention center in Libya, killing at least 40

Emergency workers and other recover bodies after an airstrike killed nearly 40 at Tajoura Detention Center, east of Tripoli.

Emergency workers at Tajoura Detention Center, east of Tripoli. Photo: Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images

An airstrike late Tuesday hit a detention center for mainly African migrants near the Libyan capital of Tripoli, killing at least 40 people and wounding 80, Reuters reports, citing a health official.

The big picture: There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Tripoli-based government blamed the Libyan National Army and called for the UN to investigate, per AP. The oil-and-gas-producing country has been in turmoil since the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi, per Reuters. Libya has become a key springboard for migrants trying to travel to Europe, the BBC notes.

This article has been updated with more details, including comment from the Tripoli-based government.

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