At least 86 migrants have died after the boat they were travelling in sank off Syria’s coast on Thursday, the country’s state-run media reported.
Twenty survivors were taken to hospital, while rescuers continue to search for missing passengers.
Officials said Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian nationals – including women and children – were believed to be among the 120 to150 people on board. It is not clear what caused the accident.
Officials added that the vessel had departed from Minyeh, a city near the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, before it sank near the Syrian island of Arwad, close to Tartus.
The boat is believed to have been heading to Cyprus when it sank.
Tartus, where survivors have been transported, is about 50km north of Tripoli. Syrian news agency Sana said authorities would transfer the bodies of unidentified victims to the border crossing to hand them over to the Lebanese Red Cross.
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) – the largest number of refugees per capita in the world.
However, the country is facing a severe economic crisis, fuelled by COVID-19 and the 2020 Beirut port explosion, with more than 80% of the population struggling to afford food and medicine.
The situation is having a severe impact on the country’s migrant population, many of whom are choosing to flee elsewhere, including to Europe.
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