The shipwreck was the latest tragedy in this part of the Mediterranean Sea, a key but dangerous route for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

Seven employees of Montreal-based security giant GardaWorld languished in detention for nearly two months after their arrest earlier this year by a powerful Libyan militia.

Russia's war in Ukraine grinds on relentlessly, the global angst augmented by last week's ominous meeting between President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Residents from the nearby cities of Benghazi and Tobruk have offered to put up the displaced, while volunteers search for survivors buried beneath the rubble.

More than a combined 11,000 people have died following the earthquake in Morocco and flooding in Libya, with thousands more injured, missing or displaced.

Taking place Friday at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, the organization is hosting a number of different events across Canada in bolstering their North African relief efforts.

Libya has been split since 2014 between rival governments in the east and west backed by various militia forces and international patrons.

The death toll from the flooding in Libya is massive and continues to grow. As of Thursday afternoon, officials have confirmed the loss of more than 11,300 lives.

Rescue operations are complicated in a country that has been at war on-and-off with no strong central government since an uprising toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The death toll from flooding that hit the eastern Libyan city of Derna reached more than 5,000 and was expected to rise further, a local health official said Wednesday.