Beirut: The death of a girl and 16 missing in the boat sinking accident in Tripoli

Al-Anbat - Noor Alsaleh

A little girl died, and the fate of about sixteen people is still unknown after the accident when the boat sank off the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon yesterday evening while it was transporting Lebanese and Syrians illegally from the northern coast of Lebanon to Cyprus. After the news of the accident spread, the Lebanese army immediately mobilized its navy and helicopters to search for the passengers, they were able to rescue about fifty of them. The boat had set off from the Qalamoun region in northern Lebanon at seven o'clock yesterday evening, on Saturday, illegally towards Cyprus and then towards Europe, with people on board from Tripoli along with young Syrians, and their total number reached about seventy people.

Rescue teams faced great difficulties in evacuating passengers.

There were conflicting accounts about the cause of the sinking of the boat, and there were unconfirmed reports that the boat had broken down and its captain had asked the navy for help in the army, while another unconfirmed account indicated a collision between the boat and a security boat.

The director of Tripoli port, Ahmed Tamer, said in a statement, "The army's naval forces and civilian boats belonging to sailors headed towards Al-Fanar Island - Al-Ramkin, after receiving information about the sinking of the boat while the passengers were trying to escape illegally towards Cyprus and Europe."

Prime Minister Najib Mikati called the army command to find out the circumstances of the accident, requesting the mobilization of the competent authorities to rescue the passengers.

The Minister of Works said in a statement that saving lives in this tragic accident is a matter that necessitates the mobilization of all agencies involved in rescue operations, noting that he is following up on this tragic accident moment by moment with officials in the port and all parties involved in the rescue operations currently.

The incident comes a week after the army thwarted an illegal immigration operation at the Arida point, with the arrest of a boat in Lebanese territorial waters with 20 Syrians on board, including children and women.

The Directorate of Guidance stated in a statement that "during the arrest of the boat, four of them jumped into the sea in an attempt to escape, but they were quickly arrested, and the detainees were handed over to the competent authorities and the investigation began."