Boat carrying migrants from Lebanon sinks near Syria
Syria Boat Sink: The death toll has risen to 73 after a ferry carrying Lebanese migrants sank off Syria. State TV gave this information on Friday, quoting the Syrian Health Minister. Syrian officials have said that some family members of the victims have started coming to Syria from neighboring Lebanon to help identify their loved ones.
So far 20 people have been rescued
Health Minister Mohamed Hassan Gabbash was quoted as saying that 20 people had been rescued alive and were being treated at a hospital in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous. He said that medical officials were alerted on Thursday itself to assist in the search operation. Earlier on Friday, Tartous Governor Abdul Halim Khalil told the pro-government Sham FM that searches were on to find more bodies in the offshore area. He said the boat sank two days ago. A Syrian port official told state news agency SANA that 31 bodies were washed ashore while others were pulled out of the water by Syrian boats.
Refugees’ boat sank a few months ago
Let us tell you that earlier this year in April also a boat carrying refugees in Lebanon sank. Then the Lebanese army recovered the bodies of eight refugees aboard the sunken boat. At least 56 people were on board the boat. With this, the death toll had risen to nine. State media National News Agency reported that eight bodies were found near a small island off Tripoli offshore.
The conflict in Syria started 11 years ago
It is worth noting that people from the crisis-ridden Lebanon are trying to escape to Europe by sea. In fact, the conflict in Syria started 11 years ago, after which more than 5 million civilians left the country. Most of these people are living in neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. One million Syrian refugees are living in Lebanon, facing economic crisis. Lebanon wants to send refugees home amid the country’s deepening economic crisis.
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