INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
deadliest such shipwrecks in the eastern Mediterranean.Lebanon, which since 2019 has been mired in a financial crisis branded by the World
Bank as one of the worst in modern times, has become a launchpad for illegal migration, with its own citizens joining Syrian and Palestinian
refugees clamoring to leave their homeland.Around 150 people, mostly Lebanese and Syrians, were on board the small boat that went down
from Al-Basel hospital in Tartus, where he said 20 survivors were being treated, including eight in critical condition.Of those rescued,
efforts.Russian ships were assisting in search operations, according to Syrian authorities.Rana Merhi of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent said
victims came from Lebanon..
departing from its shores.Among the survivors was Wissam al-Talawi, a Tripoli resident who was being treated in a hospital, his brother
Facebook page showing volunteers carrying corpses covered in bags into an ambulance
Another video appeared to show volunteers pulling a lifeless body onto the beach.Other rescuers were pictured searching for survivors along
the coast of Tartus.At the Arida border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, dozens waited for corpses to arrive.They included residents of
news of his missing niece and nephew.Since 2020, Lebanon has seen a spike in the number of migrants using its shores to attempt the perilous
crossing in jam-packed boats to reach Europe.In April, the sinking of an overcrowded migrant boat pursued by the Lebanese navy off the
northern coast of Tripoli killed dozens of people, sparking anger in the country.The exact circumstances of that incident are still unclear,
with some on board claiming the navy rammed their vessel, while officials insisted the smugglers made reckless bids to escape.Many of the
people trying to reach Europe, off the coast of the southwestern province of Mugla.They had reportedly boarded from Tripoli in Lebanon in an
attempt to reach Italy.Most of the boats setting off from Lebanon head for European Union member Cyprus, an island about 175 kilometers to
the west.According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there have been over 24,000 missing migrants reported in the
Mediterranean region since 2014
disappearances recorded since 2014.Source: AFP--Agencies
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://adaderana.lk
