A child died and 45 people were rescued on Saturday after the sinking of a boat carrying around 60 migrants off Lebanon, where deadly crossings have multiplied due to an unprecedented economic crisis.
“Forty-five people were rescued and the body of a child” was recovered from the boat that sank near the coast of the northern city of Tripoli, the minister of public works and services said. Transport, Ali Hamie, to a local radio.
He said that around 60 people were on this boat transporting illegal migrants from Lebanon.
The assessment quickly evolved, after an initial assessment of the army reporting 17 people rescued.
“The search is continuing,” Hamie said.
The Lebanese Red Cross said it had sent 10 ambulances to Tripoli. An AFP correspondent noted that the army had closed the port, allowing only ambulances to enter and return.
Families of some passengers gathered to check in, but were denied entry.
“It happened because of the politicians who forced the unemployed Lebanese to leave the country,” said a man who was waiting for news from a relative outside the port.
Lebanon, a country of about six million people, is grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis and, according to the World Bank, of a magnitude usually associated with wars.
The currency has lost more than 90% of its purchasing power and the majority of the population lives below the poverty line.
According to the UN refugee agency, at least 1,570 people, including 186 Lebanese, left or attempted to leave Lebanon illegally by sea between January and November 2021.
Most hoped to reach the island of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, 175 kilometers away.
This figure is up from 270 passengers, including 40 Lebanese, in 2019.
Most of those trying to leave Lebanon by sea are Syrian refugees, but increasing numbers of Lebanese are joining their ranks.