World News
Migrant boat sinks off Syria, killing at least 71
The bodies of 71 migrants have been found after the boat they were travelling in sank off Syria’s coast, the health minister has said.
The boat, carrying more than 100 people, set off from Lebanon and was heading to Europe.
Twenty survivors are being treated in a hospital in the Syrian city of Tartus.
Officials said Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian nationals – including women and children – were believed to be among the 120-150 people who were on board when the boat sank on Thursday.
It is not clear what caused the accident. A rescue attempt is ongoing.
Officials added that the vessel had departed from Minyeh, a city near the Lebanese port city of Tripoli.
The boat is believed to have been heading to Europe when it sank.
Tartus, where survivors have been transported, is about 30 miles (50 km) north of Tripoli.
Lebanon hosts an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, and almost 14,000 from other countries, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world.
And this year crossings have risen by more than 70% compared with the same time last year, international observers said.
Earlier this month, six people, including children, were killed when a boat carrying migrants from Lebanon to Europe sank off the coast of Turkey. The country’s coast guard said 73 migrants from four ships had been rescued.
