Boat carrying Syrian refugees sinks off Lebanon, most rescued

Life vests and inflatable boats that were carrying Syrian refugees lie on a heap on the shore of Lesbos island in Greece. (File/AFP)

• The boat was ferrying the refugees illegally to Cyprus
• Most were rescued by the Lebanese army but at least one child drowned

BEIRUT: A boat with around three dozen Syrian refugees on board sank off the coast of Lebanon on Saturday and most were rescued by the Lebanese army but at least one child drowned, security sources said.
The boat was ferrying the refugees illegally to Cyprus, some 180 km (110 miles) away, when it foundered off the coast of northern Lebanon, the sources said. Three more of the people on boat were in a serious condition in hospital.
Lebanon is hosting around 1 million registered refugees from Syria’s civil war, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. The Lebanese government puts the figure at around 1.5 million.