Mourners react by the body of one of the victims who drowned in the shipwreck of a migrant boat that sank off the Syrian coast, during his funeral after the return of his body in Lebanon s northern port city of Tripoli on September 24, 2022. AFP
In a statement on Saturday, the Egyptian foreign ministry "expressed deep sorrow to the families of the victims over the tragic incident, while stressing, at the same time, that restoring stability and resolving crises in the Middle East would help in protecting the lives and capabilities of the peoples of the region."
As many as 150 people were on board the small boat that reportedly left from Lebanon when it went down near the Syrian coastal city of Tartus, 50 kilometres north of the Lebanese coastal city of Tripoli.
Syrian state media said on Saturday that 86 bodies have been recovered after a boat carrying migrants who left from Lebanon sank off the coast of Syria.
At least 20 people rescued were recovering in hospitals in Syria, some in serious condition, according to the United Nations.
Those on board the sunken boat were mostly Lebanese and Syrians and Palestinians, and included both children and the elderly, the United Nations said.
A new tragedy
The incident is the deadliest since a surging number of Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians have tried to flee crisis-hit Lebanon by sea seeking opportunities in Europe.
In April, a boat carrying dozens of Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians trying to migrate by sea to Italy went down more than five kilometers from the port of Tripoli leaving dozens dead.
In early September, an Egyptian marine ship bound for France rescued 60 migrants stranded on a sinking boat in the Mediterranean Sea near Malta.
The boat, which was stranded for a week, also carried Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian passengers who had left from Lebanon seeking to reach Italy in search of job opportunities, according to AP.
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