Lebanese soldiers and onlookers stand at the entrance of the port of Tripoli on Saturday. AFP

Gulf Today Report

The Lebanese military Sunday recovered the bodies of eight migrants whose boat carrying at least 56 people capsized the night before, raising the death toll to nine, state media reported.

The National News Agency said the eight bodies were found near a small island off the coast of the northern city of Tripoli.

Several survivors told local TV stations that the Lebanese navy is to blame for the accident. They said a military ship rammed their migrant boat twice, damaging it, in an effort to force it to return to the coast.

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The military said it would hold a news conference later Sunday to explain what happened. Survivors called on the military to bring in officers involved for questioning.

The Lebanese Red Cross and Transport Minister Ali Hamie had said around 60 passengers were on board the vessel before it sunk.

Hamie told a local broadcaster on Saturday that 45 people had been rescued and the corpse of one child retrieved from the ship.

According to Tamer, the number of passengers still missing remains unclear.

"We still don't know how many people were on the boat," the port chief said.

Lebanese soldiers stand guard at the entrance of Tripoli’s port on Saturday. AFP

The economic crash has spurred an uptick in sea crossings out of the country, with an increasing number of Lebanese joining the ranks of Syrian and Palestinian refugees trying to illegally cross into Europe.

The Lebanese army and security forces were deployed at Tripoli's port on Sunday where ambulances were on standby to receive survivors.

Relatives of those on board the capsized ship held a vigil at the entrance to the port to await news of their loved ones.

"My nephew, he has five children and his wife is pregnant with twins. He was trying to escape hunger and poverty," said one man waiting to enter the harbour.

Nissrine Merheb was also waiting for news from her two cousins and their children who were also on board the ship.

"The people of Tripoli are destined to die," she wrote in a post on Facebook.

"Even when we are trying to run away from the filth of politicians and their corruption... death catches up with us," she said.