Migrants die as boat sinks near Syrian coast

C: https://www.ekathimerini.com/

A boat carrying migrants sank near the Syrian coast. There were many migrants on the ship. But as of now, officials have found 71 bodies. The Health ministry gave this information. There were 20 survivors. They are currently getting treatment.

There were around 120-150 people on the boat that sank. Some speculations say that there were women and children on the boat as well. There were many people of different nationalities. They also included Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian nationals.

The officials could not determine the exact cause for the sinking of the ship. The boat sank on Thursday. But still, the rescue operation is going on. The officials appeared scared about how many bodies they will recover.

The officials said that the ship left Minyeh. It is a city near the Lebanese port city of Tripoli. The ship was going towards Europe. But it sank near the Syrian coast. The ship could not complete its decided journey. So, we cannot determine the location of its destination as well.

Tartus is a city that is near the Mediterranean coast of Syria. The officials rescued the survivors. They gave them first aid on the spot. Then, the survivors reached the city of Tartus. The city of Tartus is around 30 miles or approximately 50 km from Tripoli, a port city. The survivors are also reportedly recovering in Tartus.

Lebanon has an unusual record of its name. Lebanon also hosts the most refugees in the world. It has the highest number of refugees per capita in the whole world. The estimated number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is staggering. They amount to almost 1.5 million. It also hosts 14,000 refugees from different countries.

The country is under severe economic, food, and medicine crises as of now. The Beirut explosion of 2020 also shocked the entire nation and the world. The refugees are leaving in search of better conditions.

Credits: BBC

Ishita Paul