Death Toll From Shipwreck Off Syrian Coast Increased To 94 - Health Service

CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2022) The death toll from the crash of a ship with migrants off the coast of the Syrian province of Tartus has risen to 94, the director of a local hospital said on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, the Syrian health ministry said that 88 people died and 14 people are still in hospital, including two in serious condition, due to shipwreck.

"We received four bodies found on the coast of the city of Baniyas (about 22 miles from Tartus), The total number of deaths from the shipwreck is 94 people," the director told Syrian radio Sham FM.

According to Syrian media, the ship left Lebanon to reach Cyprus earlier this week, with Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian nationals on board, as well as people with unknown citizenship. One survivor said the total number of passengers was around 150, according to media reports.

The rescue operation started on Thursday. The head of the Syrian seaports administration, Samir Kubrusli, told Sham FM that the Lebanese authorities did not warn Damascus about the missing boat with migrants and contacted Syrian authorities only after the incident.

The Lebanese army said that it arrested a suspect who organized the transportation of migrants on this ship, and he admitted his guilt.