San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Toll in migrant boat sinking off Syria reaches 94
Thousands of Palestinians held prayers on a soccer field in a refugee camp in Lebanon on Saturday to mourn one of the scores of migrants who died after their boat sank off Syria’s coast last week, even as others vowed to undertake the same perilous voyage.
Abdul-Al Abdul-Al, 24, kissed his father goodbye Tuesday before boarding a crowded boat leaving from a nearby town seeking a better life in Europe. He was buried in the camp where he was born, his father, Omar, said during the funeral procession.
The death toll rose Saturday evening to 94 after several bodies were found on the coast by the town of Banyas, according to Syrian state TV. Twenty others have received treatment at a medical center. The Lebanese army announced that troops have detained the man who allegedly organized the deadly trip.
The incident was the deadliest so far as a surging number of Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians have been trying to flee Lebanon by sea to Europe in search of jobs and stability. In Lebanon, tens of thousands have lost their jobs while the the national currency has dropped more than 90% in value, pulling threequarters of the population into poverty.
Omar Abdul-Al said that his son had tried to leave Lebanon before but did not succeed as sometimes the migrant boats he took had technical problems or faced high seas. Sometimes he had to swim back to shore, the man said.
“We don’t want to live here anymore. We want to leave,” said Omar Abdul-Al, adding that he encouraged his late son to leave and now he is encouraging his four other sons to leave Lebanon.
There were conflicting reports on how many people were on board the boat when it sank, with some saying at least 120. In the aftermath of the disaster, the Lebanese army said troops on Friday stormed the homes of several suspected smugglers, detaining eight people involved in trafficking people abroad.