Lebanon: Death toll from migrant boat accident rises to 94

By Naim Burjawi

BEIRUT (AA): The death toll from the sinking of a migrant boat off the coast of Syria after sailing from Lebanon has risen to 94, Lebanese authorities said on Sunday.

In a statement, the secretary-general of the official Higher Relief Commission, Mohammad Khair, said four new bodies were recovered, bringing the toll to 94.

He said five Lebanese and eight Palestinians, who were on the boat, are still being treated at the al-Basil Hospital in Syria’s Tartus city and will return soon to Lebanon.

On Thursday, Syrian regime authorities said that a boat that set off from Lebanon sank off the coast of Tartus.

The boat was carrying nearly 170 Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian migrants, where only 94 bodies were found so far in addition to around 20 rescued, while the others are still missing.

Attempts by Lebanese and Syrians to migrate from Lebanon to European countries through illegal means have been rising due to an unprecedented deterioration in economic and social conditions and soaring poverty.

Lebanon has been grappling with a severe economic crisis since late 2019, including massive currency depreciation and fuel and medical shortages.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar

[Photo: Lebanese people gather at the Syrian border to retrieve the bodies of their deceased relatives who lost their lives after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Syrian Arida,Lebanon on September 23, 2022. Photojournalist :Houssam Shbaro/AA]

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