76 bodies recovered after boat sinks in Syria

The number of victims of the migrant boat that set off from Lebanon a few days ago towards Europe and sank off Syria has risen to 76 so far, according to what the Lebanese Minister of Transport, Ali Hamiyah, announced, amid continuing efforts to search for survivors and retrieve the bodies.

The Syrian authorities began finding bodies in the sea off the coast of Tartus (northwest) on Thursday afternoon.

So far, 20 people from the stricken boat have been rescued and taken to hospital in Syria for treatment.

The Syrian authorities indicated that most of the survivors were receiving assistance with oxygen, and some were transferred to intensive care.

According to Syrian TV, the boat was carrying at least 150 people.

Hamiyah said that there were about 45 children on board the boat, and none of them survived, but he could not confirm the number.

He added that the boat was “very small” and made of wood.

For their part, the families of the Lebanese who drowned began to receive mourners in an atmosphere of sadness and anger.

People fearing that their relatives might be among the victims gathered at the border crossing with Syria, waiting for the bodies to arrive.